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A South Island mental health worker is under investigation after a formal complaint from a patient claiming he paid her for sex soon after she was released from a secure unit.

The patient also alleges that she sought help from the man during a particularly rough time - but instead of helping her, he drove her to a secluded location and touched her intimately.

Te Whatu Ora says it is “extremely concerned” about the complaint and has launched a full investigation into the man.

Text messages provided to the Herald reveal the man’s pursuit of the patient.

It is understood the messages were sent from a Te Whatu Ora-funded work phone.

The Herald has agreed not to name the man or patient while the investigation is under way.

The patient reached out to share her story soon after making the formal complaint.

She said she wanted to expose the man, who she felt had taken advantage of her, and make sure he was properly investigated for his behaviour.

Over the years the patient has struggled with bipolar and drug addiction.

She is a sex worker - a job she is proud of and enjoys without any shame.

“I genuinely love my job and my bookings and want to be a really good escort,” she said, adding that was a big motivation for seeking treatment.

The woman is proud of her work in the sex industry and feels the mental health worker took advantage of her while she was struggling.

She said she met the mental health worker through a church in their hometown a few years ago.

She spoke to him then about her occupation and her personal struggle with addiction.

Last year she encountered him again when she was admitted to a mental health unit to help with her bipolar, and a drug relapse.

She told the Herald that during her admission the man “took a genuine interest in helping me”.

“We talked about my want to begin sex work again,” she said.

“Five weeks later I was discharged on a Friday and began sex work on the Saturday. Then a week later I get a private number call and it was [the mental health worker] wanting a booking to have sex with me.”

She agreed to the booking and the pair had sex.

This happened again on a second occasion.

The man told her he was watching explicit videos she had uploaded to an adult website.

“He began calling me masturbating over the phone,” she said.

“Our last booking was before Christmas and he said he’d sold one of his guitars to pay for me.”

Messages between the mental health worker (in grey) and the patient (in green) show him pursuing her for sex. Photo / Supplied

Last month the man sent the patient a text message to try and book a further appointment with her.

She disclosed to him that she had been struggling with her mental health and addiction again and asked if she could speak with him.

She felt that she had no one else to turn to and was comfortable with the worker as he knew about her history and had said he wanted to help with her issues.

Text messages show the patient suggested the pair meet for a drink.

“Not a booking, just a chat,” she wrote.

“I’m working late tonight and don’t drink. I would have rather had a booking but only have $75…. I’ll just have to wait… maybe I just look up your (web)site for relief LOL,” he replied.

He went on to say: “I can’t wait to see, smell, taste & feel you”.

He agreed to meet her for “just a talk and coffee” and suggested coming to the patient’s home.

She said her flatmate was home and he agreed to pick her up and take her somewhere.

The mental health worker wanted a booking with the woman for sex when she asked to meet and talk about her personal struggles. Photo / Supplied

In her complaint she said the purpose of the meeting was “to hang out just as people as I wondered if I could talk to him because he’s aware of my past”.

She said the worker picked her up from her home and drove her to a secluded location.

She began to disclose her recent struggles and he said he “couldn’t help but take off his clinical hat” because he wanted to be intimate with her.

She said he stopped her talking, and began to touch her intimately and telling her he wanted to have sex.

“I said no because I wasn’t feeling well, I asked him to drop me off,” she said.

She said he “prayed” for her before she left the vehicle.

“I felt really sad that the one person I thought could help had made me feel cheap and stupid,” she said.

“My mental health spiralled and I just lost my shit.

“I couldn’t stop crying and felt so helpless I wanted to take my own life.”

After the woman asked for help the mental health worker agreed to pick her up. Photo / Supplied

She said there had been a couple of times she had “desperately needed” to readmit herself to the mental health ward but she was too scared in case she saw the worker.

“He said if he ever saw me in there he’d sneak into my room and f**k me,” she said in her complaint.

The patient told the Herald that she made the complaint after telling a friend about what had happened.

It was only then she realised that the worker’s behaviour was inappropriate.

“I realised he was wrong - I asked him for help and he turned around and that to me instead of giving me the mental health support that I wanted,” she said.

The patient said she was angry at the man and wanted him held accountable for his actions.

“I thought he was innocently expressing his sexuality - until I needed help and he didn’t care but pursued his own needs,” she said.

“I’d just be happy for him to be exposed and made an example of because the more I think of it the more I realise how f**ked up it was.

The woman felt angry when she realised how wrong the situation was. Photo / 123RF

She worried there would be others like her out there who may be in similar positions, which is why she reached out to the Herald.

The director of operations for the hospital and specialist services in the area where the patient lives acknowledged the complaint.

“Te Whatu Ora is extremely concerned about the complaint received and is taking it very seriously,” she said.

“Our usual complaints process is being followed and a full investigation will be undertaken.

“Until that investigation is complete it’s inappropriate for us to comment further.”

The patient said a Te Whatu Ora Health NZ representative had been in contact after she made the complaint, advising her the worker had been “stood down”.

Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz

SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION

Where to get help:
• Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
• Youth services: (06) 3555 906
• Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234
• What's Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm)
• Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)
• Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.