A UK court has found an Indian-origin doctor guilty of sexually assaulting 23 women. He was convicted of 25 counts of sexual assault and assault by penetration.
Manish Shah, a general practitioner, was an Indian-origin doctor, who exploited women’s cancer fears to carry out invasive intimate examinations. During consultations, he would use Hollywood star Angelina Jolie’s story wherein she got a preventative mastectomy done. Taking advantage of the patients scare, he would then ask to examine the breasts.
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“He took advantage of his position to persuade women to have invasive vaginal examinations, breast examinations and rectal examinations when there was absolutely no medical need for them to be conducted,” prosecutor Kate Bex told the jury.
“Fear is an incredible motivator and few health concerns are scarier than cancer. Dr Shah exploited that and used it for his own personal gratification,” she said.
Between May 2009 and June 2013, the 50-year-old GP assaulted six patients of the Mawney Medical Centre in east London. Some of them even 11-year olds. The jury, which acquitted him of five other charges, was told that he had already been convicted of similar allegations relating to 17 other women, bringing the total number to 23.
Judge Anne Molyneux adjourned sentencing for the latest offences until February 7, 2020.
The doctor has however denied the allegations.
But the prosecution’s case highlighted that Shah would repeatedly flout state-funded National Health Service (NHS) guidelines for conducting the examinations. He would reportedly give patients hugs and kisses, saying he had a soft spot for them.
Shah was suspended from the medical practice in 2013 in lieu of the complaints.