A SEVERELY autistic woman was "pimped out" by her carers who believed she needed to "learn from her mistakes", according to shock claims that emerged tonight.

The 23-year-old has an IQ of 52 — but random men were reportedly still permitted to have sex with her at a care home in Manchester.

She is also said to have had sex in public several times - including behind a bowling alley - after being taken out on "dates" to shisha bars after the care company paid to look after her refused to intervene.

Staff were taking part in a court-approved trial this summer that allowed her to be visited by strangers between 10am and 4pm each day, The Times reported.

It was hoped that the scheme — run by private firm Engage Support — would encourage her to refrain from risky sexual behaviour, according to court documents.

Manchester council opposed the plan, arguing it would "inevitably expose her to a very significant risk of sexual harm, violence, abuse and trafficking".

But in June Judge Jonathan Butler gave Engage Support permission to step back from round-the-clock care of the woman.

This allowed her "to have sexual relations with others during daytime hours (10am to 4pm)".

If she sought sex in public carers were “not expected to intervene physically” — nor to “remain present during such acts”, the Times reported.

The shock ruling came after Engage Support threatened to terminate its contract with Manchester council unless restrictions on the woman's freedom were reduced.

But the sexual activity was stopped after two months.

And last month a psychiatrist warned the court that if if continued she was at risk of "sexual abuse, violence, injury or death".

Disgusted relatives accused authorities of approving an “experiment” that led to the “pimping out of a highly vulnerable young woman”, The Times said.

The woman, who had a troubled childhood and ran away from home ten times in five years, may have "been subjected to sexual activity with men, particularly Asian men" as a child, according to court papers submitted by the council.

Her care has been guided by the Court of Protection since her 18th birthday and in 2015 a judge ruled in 2015 that the woman was able to consent to sex.

But she lacked the capacity to “make decisions on her contact with men”.

This ruling was overturned in June after she began sending explicit photos to a man who worked at a shisha bar.

She was also said to have facetimed a taxi driver naked — "as he had asked her to do this", court docs said.

After the June ruling she had sex with at least six men at home and saught sex in public, the Times said.

On one night alone she reportedly had sex with three men in one night before police took her home at 4:30am.

The woman married a Bangladeshi waiter last year — and their families say he is devoted to her.

But he was reportedly not informed of the court ruling that allowed her to have sex with men when he was not home and is said to feel "devastated and betrayed".

Engage Support withdrew from the contract earlier this month and the woman has been moved to a new care provider at a different location as her case goes to High Court.

Manchester council refused to tell The Times how much it had paid the company over the four-year contract.

The Sun Online has contacted Manchester City Council and Engage Support for comment.