- Saturday, April 20, 2024
By: Keerthi Mohan
A LONDON GP accused of molesting female patients as young as 11 cited the cases of celebrities Angelina Jolie and Jade Goody to convince them to have unnecessary invasive examinations, a court heard.
Manish Shah, of Romford, is said to have carried out intimate examinations on victims between the ages of 11 and 39. The sexual assaults reportedly took place between May 2009 and June 2013.
He has denied 34 sex assault charges — 13 charges of sexual assault and 21 counts of assault by penetration.
On one occasion Shah mentioned Hollywood Jolie’s preventive mastectomy to ask a patient if she wanted him to examine her breasts. In another instance, he mentioned Goody as he told another woman an examination was in her best interests, prosecutor Kate Bex told the court.
“He was obviously aware it was contrary to NHS guidelines, and told the woman he was offering a service available in other countries and not in the UK. He said he had recently seen two patients with breast cancer who were even younger than her.
“That was deliberate and intended to reassure her and reduce the risk she would question what he is doing, and it worked.”
Bex said: “He took advantage of his position to persuade women to have invasive vaginal examinations, breast examinations and rectal examinations when there was absolutely no medical need for them to be conducted.”
The 50-year-old doctor did not always wear gloves and at one time left a patient entirely naked on the examination table, it was claimed.
Jurors heard that Shah would give patients hugs and kisses and would say he had a soft spot for them.
Shah was suspended in 2013 when complaints came to light and police investigated.
The trial continues.
