Katrina Harrington allegedly had sex with the intellectually disabled man she was caring for in Gladstone

Katrina Harrington allegedly had unprotected sex twice with a man who suffers from a severe intellectual disability.

A support worker allegedly avoided using birth control and was sad when not impregnated by a 29-year-old man in her care, a court heard.

Katrina Louise Harrington, 39, pleaded not guilty in Gladstone District Court on Wednesday to carnal knowledge of a person with an impairment of the mind.

After the jury was assembled, Crown Prosecutor Evan O’Hanlon-Rose began his opening address by repeating what the alleged victim told police during an interview.

“You won’t catch anything from my vagina,” Mr O’Hanlon-Rose said the defendant had told the alleged victim.

“She really wanted to get something out of my penis and she’s a bit sad I didn’t.”

Mr O’Hanlon-Rose told the court the statement made by Ms Harrington’s alleged victim, who suffers from a serious intellectual impairment, showed she did not want to use birth control and wanted to be impregnated.

“He is afraid of germs, lives with his mother and is unable to care for himself,” Mr O'Hanlon-Rose said.

“He and his family rely on support, and Katrina Harrington was the professional support worker.

“She was employed with a local disability support service and was one of a number of workers assigned to work with the victim.

“You’ll hear him say that in August 2019, Katrina had sex with him.”

Ms Harrington was 37-years-old at the time and Mr O’Hanlon-Rose told they jury they would hear the alleged victim say Ms Harrington allegedly had sex with him twice.

“Once on the evening of Friday, August 2 after meeting him in a park and once the next day, after meeting in the park again,” Mr O’Hanlon-Rose told the court.

“She drove him back to her home and had sex with him while her husband was working night shift and their 10-year-old son slept in another room.

“It only took him a few days to start telling people what happened between him and Katrina.

“The secret came out and as a result of his disclosures to some other support workers and his mother, a formal complaint was made to police.”

The jury was expected to hear pre-recorded evidence from the alleged victim on day one of a trial, which could last four in total.