Doctor facing 'significant' prison term over sex attacks on four patients

A doctor will be sentenced for committing a string of sex attacks on patients, including women who had complained of back pain and hay fever.

Jaswant Rathore was convicted at Wolverhampton Crown Court after a seven-week trial which heard he conducted unnecessary massage "treatment" to satisfy his sexual desires.

The 60-year-old GP, who was the primary care lead for the Dudley clinical commissioning group, denied touching eight women inappropriately on different occasions between late 2008 and the summer of 2015.

But jurors found the former hospital house officer guilty on Wednesday of ten sexual assaults on four patients aged in their 20s and 30s, while acquitting him of eight assaults on a further four patients.

The court was told the married father of five was initially arrested in relation to three complainants, but five more contacted police after seeing reports in the press.

West Midlands Police said Rathore used his influence as a GP to persuade the victims to undergo "manual manipulation therapies", enabling him to assault the women for his own gratification during one-to-one consultations.

Detective Inspector Michelle Thurgood, who led the investigation, said: "Rathore was a respected and experienced doctor who abused his position of trust to assault these women when they were at their most vulnerable."

Rathore, who was remanded in custody after his conviction and warned to expect a "significant" term of custody, will be sentenced by Judge Michael Challinor.

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