This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A GP who sexually assaulted four female patients for his “personal gratification” has been sentenced to 12 years in jail.

Jaswant Rathore, who was the primary care lead for the Dudley clinical commissioning group, was convicted of eight charges of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration on patients over a period of two and a half years.

During a seven-week hearing, Wolverhampton crown court heard that the 60-year-old had assaulted patients who came to see him with medical complaints ranging from vomiting to hayfever, pretending that his actions were necessary for diagnosis or treatment.

Rathore denied all the charges and the jury found him not guilty of eight alleged assaults on a further four patients.

Sentencing the doctor on Thursday, the judge, Michael Challinor, accepted that the married father of five’s professional and personal life was a “complete shipwreck” after his conviction.

“Many witnesses in the trial spoke highly of your professionalism, diligence, expertise and amiability,” Challinor said. “These qualities made you, for many of your patients, the ‘go-to’ doctor in the area. You used your standing within the community as a cloak behind which you could carry out sexual assaults on your patients for your personal gratification.

“By your actions you violated the faith they had in you to carry out legitimate medical procedures.

“You deliberately avoided offering chaperones, giving little or no explanation for what you were doing, and failed to make adequate notes in order to hide your offending.

“Some of your behaviour demonstrated a breathtaking degree of arrogance – you no doubt hoping your standing in the medical community would enable you to talk your way out of any difficulty.”

A CPS spokesperson said: “On 24 May 2015, one of Dr Jaswant Rathore’s patients contacted police to inform them she had been sexually assaulted by the defendant at his Castle Meadows surgery where he was the practice principal.

“The victim had visited the 60-year-old defendant due to issues with her hips. He advocated the use of manual manipulation therapies, which involved massaging the lower back, bottom and inner thighs.

“During the manipulations and without proper consent, Dr Rathore removed the victim’s clothes and touched her inappropriately. This made her feel uncomfortable and distressed.

“This therapy continued for a number of weeks and when the victim failed to turn up for her appointment, the defendant telephoned her and insisted she attend. The victim eventually spoke to her family and friends, and later contacted the police.”

Rathore was instructed to register as a sex offender for life and was made the subject of a 15-year sexual harm prevention order. He was suspended by the General Medical Council after his arrest.