By Sky News - 12.04.2024 - [UK} - [Mohan Babu]
A GP who sexually assaulted "vulnerable" patients, including a woman with terminal cancer, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Mohan Babu, 47, abused his position of trust by kissing, groping and exposing himself to women without their consent while they were receiving medical treatment during routine appointments.
The sexual assaults took place between September 2019 and July 2021, when Babu was working at a surgery in Havant, Hampshire. Each of his three victims were unknown to each other and came forward separately to report his inappropriate conduct - showing a clear pattern of offending.
Babu exposed himself to the first complainant and "told her she had to touch it because he was helping her", Portsmouth Crown Court heard. He also put his hand down her skirt.
Babu, of Emsworth, Hampshire, asked another of the complainants to take their bra off under the pretext of examining for moles, the court heard. He told the complainant that they were "cute", kissed her and also told her "I'm not having a bad day" as he touched their breast, the jury was told.
The woman who had terminal cancer died before Babu was convicted, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) successfully applied for her evidence to be presented to the jury alongside the other victims.
The brother of the terminally-ill woman said in a victim impact statement read in court: "My beloved sister deserved the dignity of her final months, this man desecrated her final months."
The second victim told the court: "This has affected my mental health and I was targeted when I was vulnerable. "It has essentially ruined my life and I am still trying to get back on track. I am still struggling to come to terms with what happened because I was in denial."
The third victim said: "I feel the healthcare system failed to safeguard me, having learned about the other complainants I feel he should never have got to me in the first place." She explained that her long-term relationship had broken down since the abuse and added: "I was at the happiest time of my life before I met Babu but all that changed and I went on a dark downward decline."
A jury convicted Babu of four counts of sexual assault against three women, but cleared him of three charges of sexual assault against two other women. Babu, who has been diagnosed with autism, is also subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.
Miranda Moore KC, prosecuting, said: "This wasn't simply a doctor abusing the trust of his patients but includes one patient he knew at the time was dying.
"We say he specifically targeted someone who was significantly vulnerable, they were all ladies suffering emotionally as well as physically in one form or another."
Ms Moore said Babu had shown a "wholesale lack of remorse", adding: "There is a whole lot of victim-blaming going on, there is no remorse or acceptance of the jury's verdict." If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm.
Dignity4Patients Commentary: Do doctors who cross professional boundaries with patients ever stop at just one #SexualAbuse victim? Time and again sexual predators remain in healthcare too long and the victims keep growing. They must be removed with urgency. #PatientProtection is vital for public confidence in the profession.