GP found guilty of 25 sex offences against patients
10 December 2019, 16:25
A GP who used celebrity cancer cases to force women into unnecessary examinations has been found guilty of sexually assaulting 23 of his patients.
Dr Manish Shah prayed on his patients' fears about cancer to push them to consent to examinations "for his own sexual gratification".
During his trial at the Old Bailey, the court heard how Shah used the cases of Jade Goody and Angelina Jolie to instil fear into his patients.
Over five years he sexually assaulted six victims a total of 25 times, including an 11-year-old girl.
The jury also heard that Shah had previously been convicted of similar allegations relating to 17 other women.
Prosecutor Kate Bex QC told jurors: "Fear is an incredible motivator and few health concerns are scarier than cancer. Dr Shah exploited that and used it for his own personal gratification."
She also spoke about the defendant's "sexualised" behaviour, saying he would single some women out as "special" and his "star".
Shah denied any wrongdoing and his barrister Zoe Johnson QC told jurors he was a "cautious, insecure, perhaps at times incompetent GP".
She also argued that Shah's previous conviction did not necessarily make for a case of "once a sex offender always a sex offender."
