Convicted sex offender Imran Rauf Qureshi will not be struck off for assaulting a student nurse.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester ruled that the middle-aged doctor, who excused his behaviour as a “misjudgement” due to “the culture norms [being] different in the UK from Pakistan”, ruled that removing him from the Medical Register would not be in the public interest and handed him a short 12-month suspension instead, Mail Online reports.

This is despite the fact that the tribunal “concluded [Qureshi] showed a lack of empathy towards [the victim] and ignored her objections to your behaviour”, and accepted there was a “not insignificant risk of harm to another individual by a repetition of [his] behaviour.”

Middle-aged Pakistani doctor blames “different cultural norms” for assault on student nurse he saw as “sexually available”. (Judge gave him a 12-month community order.) https://t.co/KdKqbWEiMM — Jack Montgomery ن (@JackBMontgomery) November 9, 2017

Qureshi attacked his 21-year-old victim — known only as ‘Miss A.’ — at Trafford General Hospital in Davyhulme, Greater Manchester, after having first declined to perform his duties by retrieving some patients notes for her, saying: “I don’t want to get [them] yet, I want to spend some time with you.”

The married doctor later trapped her in the ward kitchen and “backed [her] into the corner”, according to Rebecca Vanstone, counsel for the General Medical Council (GMC).

“Miss A says she held her hand up to signal for him to move away and told him he was a disgrace. He asked for a hug and she refused but he did it anyway.

“Then he grabbed her right breast for a few seconds. Miss A. said he was laughing and trying to make light if the situation and then became aggressive and said that friends do what he was trying to do.

“Miss A. reported the incident about an hour later to a friend who told her to inform her mentor and she did so. The mentor describes the account given to her and said she appeared to be nervous, shaken up and distraught.”

All cultures are equal. https://t.co/TRcQ8wOmZs — Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) November 1, 2017

Qureshi considered his Muslim victim “sexually available” because he knew she had boyfriends in the past.

He was convicted for the assault in Minshull Street Crown Court despite a Not Guilty plea, but was only given a 12-month community order, along with a £60 victim surcharge and an order to pay court costs of £750.

Follow Jack Montgomery on Twitter: @JackBMontgomery