Megan Neilson, 28, was responsible for supporting the 29 year old who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and a learning disability.
The pair quickly struck up a close bond which led to them both declaring that they loved each other.
Neilson engaged in kissing and cuddling with him during outings to a bowling alley and Strathclyde Park, and later performed a sex act on him in a car at the Falkirk Wheel.
Their inappropriate affair was exposed when they arrived hand-in-hand at his father’s home and announced their relationship, reports the Daily Record.
Upon confronting the man’s shocked father, Neilson offered to resign from her position, but the authorities were notified.
When police approached Neilson at home, she immediately questioned, “Is this about the inappropriate relationship?”.
Neilson, of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, denied any wrongdoing between June and August 2022 and went on trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
The jury took merely an hour to find her guilty of engaging in sexual activity with the man while being his care provider.
During the trial, jurors viewed a police interview with the man, where he recounted his belief that he was in a relationship with Neilson and detailed the sexual encounters.
He revealed: “She said if anybody found out about us she would lose her job, her daughter and her college course.
“I felt awkward because this had never happened to me before.”
When quizzed on how he felt about revealing his relationship with Neilson to his parents and the authorities, he expressed remorse: “I feel as if I made her a promise and broke it.”
His father conveyed to the court his earlier suspicions about the duo before they disclosed their relationship.
He recounted: “They said ‘we’ve something to tell you, we are in a relationship’ and it took a while for it to sink in what was being said.
“I questioned Megan that it would be so wrong because she was one of his carers and she said ‘I’m going to leave anyway so it will be fine’.
“I was in shock but then realised my suspicion was confirmed that there was something going on and I had this sickly feeling because it was a major breach of trust by the support worker working with him.
“He is still not the same wee laddie.”
The court also reviewed messages Neilson sent to the man.
One read: “I love you. If it means losing everything, that’s fine.”
She further instructed him: “Delete this mind.”
Neilson refuted any physical intimacy with the man but acknowledged resigning from her job due to an ’emotional relationship’.
The mother-of-two said: “I’m not sure why he has said this, it was maybe because he couldn’t be with me but I can’t get my head round it.
“I feel terrible, it has affected me really really badly and it has given me a lot of anxiety but there was nothing sexual between me and him.”
Depute fiscal Lewis Devoy told jurors Neilson had committed a ‘gross breach of trust’ and said the man had ‘no reason’ to lie.
Lewis Kennedy, defence advocate, told the jury: “Her position is really straightforward and that is she was only involved in an emotional relationship with the complainer and that it was never sexual.”
Sheriff Linda Nicolson deferred sentence on the first offender until next month for reports and continued her bail.
She added: “You have been found guilty by the jury of this charge which is obviously very serious.”
Neilson, who is now unemployed, was placed on the sex offenders’ register.
