A consultant gynaecologist was jailed for eight years after found guilty of groping four women patients during private and NHS consultations. Mahesh Patwardhan, 53, from Loughton, Essex, was said to get off on bending female patients over an examination couch and fondling their breasts from behind.
The Indian-born father of two who saw NHS patients at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlton, South East London, and private patients at Blackheath Hospital and The Holly, Buckhurst Hill, Essex, was convicted of four counts of sexual assualt between July 2008 and September 2012. Judge Alice Robinson said, "You indulged in totally unnecessary breast examinations for your own perverse sexual gratification and some of the patients suffered severe psychological harm. Almost the most shocking aspect was your cavalier attitude to the wholesale falsification of medical records." Patwardhan was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and is barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.
When the General Medical Council struck him off in October 2014, more of his victims began to come forward. An investigation was prompted by the Metropolitan Police and the doctor was arrested in November 2014. Prosecuting, Kate Bex told the jury that a 32 year old mother of three was seen at the Queen Elizabeth in 2008. "He came behind her and put his arms around her and onto her breasts. He groped her breasts and squeezed them with his hands and she was in total shock," she added, saying the woman made an excuse to avoid removing the rest of her clothing.
Another woman said Patwardhan became more intimate once he sized her up. Bex said, "The cuddling started after her second or third visit. He'd hug her goodbye and push his body into her, grab her bottom and kiss her on the cheek. He examined her breasts after asking her to bend over the couch and asked her to show him the tattoo on her bum." The jury was informed that a 35 year old helped him make extra money out of her insurers. He performed intimate cosmetic surgery on the woman, but billed her insurers, AXA PPP, for cyst removal. "Afterwards he told her she would soon be having lots of 'sexy sex and orgasms' in a way that gave her the creeps," said Bex.
A 21 year old private BUPA patient reported Patwardhan for making her sign a claim form for a £195 non-existent pre-surgery consultation. She said she did not make a fuss as his wife was the anaesthetist and she was in the couple's hands. Detective Constable Mark Azariah said, "Patwardhan is a highly manipulative individual, having used his position of trust and authority to prey on the victims under his medical care, believing that they would be too embarassed to report such offences to police. Thankfully he was mistaken and I commend the victims for their courage in speaking out despite the sensitivity surrounding their personal medical concerns."
Patwardhan's QC David Etherington said, "The entire family are standing by him, plus a large community of friends. It's obvious he is never going to practise again as a doctor. This amounts to a total destruction of this man's career, everything he's studied and worked for. He's going to have to start his life again when he comes out of prison." He mainly replied with "no comment" when questioned by the police, however, denying making dishonest claims and conducting sexually motivated examinations.
