Saturday, November 22, 2014

Award-winning neurosurgeon jailed for 16 years for indecently assaulting six female patients at two hospitals

  • Nafees Hamid was an award winning neurosurgeon working in Birmingham
  • The 51-year-old abused his position of trust to sexually assault six women
  • Hamid carried out intimate medical examinations, without gloves, that were deemed medically unjustified and sometimes were on vulnerable women
  • He was jailed for 16 years for 9 charges of sexual assault carried out at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital and city's private Priory Hospital 
  • Judge Patrick Thomas said intelligent surgeon was 'brought low by lust' 
  • Police praised bravery of woman who reported him, triggering investigation
  • Officers warn there could be more victims who have not yet come forward
Nafees Hamid, an award-winning neurosurgeon, has been jailed for 16 years for nine charges of sexual assault on six patients at Birmingham hospitals 
An award-winning neurosurgeon indecently assaulted six of his female patients while working at two hospitals and has been jailed for 16 years for the attacks.

Nafees Hamid, a spinal surgery specialist, abused his trusted status to commit the assaults on women - some of whom were vulnerable - while working at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth and Priory hospitals. 

The 51-year-old consultant was described during his two month trial at Birmingham Crown Court as 'a good surgeon but not a good man.' 
Jurors heard he performed intimate and prolonged examinations on women, often without gloves, which were found to be medically unjustifiable. 

They had come to him for back and neck problems. 

Hamid was found guilty of nine sexual assaults against six women, which took place between 2012 and 2013. 

At a hearing at Birmingham Crown Court Judge Patrick Thomas QC told the neurosurgeon he was the most intelligent man he had ever seen in the dock of a criminal court but that he had been 'brought low' by lust.

He said Hamid exercised his lust 'arrogantly' over his patients, abusing them in what he described as 'the most extreme breach of trust.' 

Among Hamid's victims was a woman in her mid-20s whose complaint led to the neurosurgeon's arrest and him being charged in November last year.

This then triggered a sequence of events that led to other victims coming forward to report assaults at the hands of Hamid.

When he was arrested Hamid claimed his intimate examinations were medically justified but a subsequent investigation found this was not the case.

The patient, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told jurors she felt 'frozen to the spot' as she was subjected to an assault at the private Priory Hospital in Birmingham last year.

 She has since been praised for her bravery in exposing the abuse of trust by Hamid.

The other charges relate to four women who attended hospital for a variety of complaints between January and September 2012.

The spinal injury specialist used his trusted status to attack the women, performing medically unjustifiable examinations on them. 

Jurors heard that the victims, some of whom were described as vulnerable, were referred to Hamid for neurosurgical assessment over a two-year period.

Hamid encouraged some of his patients to remove their clothing and on occasions, removed their clothes himself without a chaperone being present.

He would then perform intimate examinations without wearing gloves, and made inappropriate sexual remarks. 

Expert medical opinion was sought on the examination techniques he was using and he was found to be ignoring General Medical Council guidelines.  

Judge Patrick Thomas QC jailed Hamid for 16 years for the nine sexual assaults.
He said: 'This is the most extreme breach of trust.

'These ladies went to see you because they had significant problems and they thought - with your skills, abilities and experience - you were the person who could help them with the medical problems.

'Instead you grossly abused them.'

Hamid claimed throughout his trial at Birmingham Crown Court that his victims were either lying or mistaken 
Hamid claimed throughout his trial at Birmingham Crown Court that his victims were either lying or mistaken 

When he was arrested Hamid tried to use his medical knowledge of research to claim his examinations were justified but this was later disproved. 

Judge Thomas added: 'You are without question in my experience the most intelligent man I have ever seen in the dock of a criminal court.

'You, through hard work and devotion to your course of studies, rose high within your profession to become an enormously respected consultant neurosurgeon at one of the great hospitals in our region.

AWARD-WINNING NEUROSURGEON COULD HAVE ABUSED MORE PATIENTS WHO TRUSTED HIM  

West Midlands Police say they cannot rule out the chance that Hamid may have abused more women who had been in his care but who had not yet come forward. 
Detective Inspector Ian Ingram said: 'He's been a neurosurgeon for a period of time, and these are the victims that have come forward to us at the moment.
'It may be that we get further victims come forward.
'It's important that if they do, we will help them.
'And it might show that it's been occurring over a longer period.' 
Mr Ingram said Hamid relied on his medical knowledge to claim what he did was justified and that his victims were wrong but this was later found to be incorrect.
He added: 'To be in a position of having those skills and using that ability to sexually assault patients is very sad.'
'You were brought low by a simple failing - lust.
'And you exercised your lust as a result of arrogance.

 You liked doing what you did, touching sexually your female patients, and you took the opportunity to do it because you could.'

Hamid, of Moseley, Birmingham, trained in Pakistan and moved to Britain in 2000.

He got a job at the Priory Hospital where he worked between 2003 and 2013 as a consultant specialising in disorders affecting the skull, spine and nervous system.

Hamid was acquitted of five charges of sexual assaults which related to four other patients.

Speaking after the case Crown Advocate Aliya Rashid, who acted as junior prosecution counsel, said: 'Nafees Hamid, whilst in a position of high trust, carried out intrusive and inappropriate examinations on vulnerable women while masking his true purpose, which was personal sexual gratification.

'These examinations left women shocked, confused, embarrassed and deeply upset.

'Many were fearful about reporting one of the most highly esteemed consultant neurosurgeons to the authorities.

'It is due to their courage and the cogent evidence they gave that Hamid has been found guilty today of his crimes.'

Lisa Windridge, senior Crown Prosecutor from the West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service's Public Protection Unit, said: 'This case is an example of a gross breach of trust at the highest level and I would like to thank all those victims who came forward and assisted the whole of the prosecution team in exposing this man.'  

The brave woman whose courage led to Hamid's conviction 

The sex attacks carried out by Nafees Hamid as he abused his position as a trusted surgeon could have gone undetected were it not for the courage of one of his patients. 

The woman, who is in her 20s, decided to go to him because she was suffering chronic pain and health issues stemming from a back complaint following an accident.

She chose Hamid because of his reputation, but this ended in a sexual assault at the private Priory Hospital in Birmingham. 

The woman told jurors she felt 'frozen to the spot' on the examination table as the 51-year-old carried out a lengthy assault lasting some 20 minutes.

She said: 'He was doing this rubbing thing on my legs and just kept going higher and higher.
'He then started asking about my sex life ... the whole thing was mortifying.'

She was then told by Hamid that she was a 'sweet girl' before he led her out of her office. 
The woman burst into tears as she walked through the car park and phoned a relative to tell her 'I think I've just been sexually assaulted'.

She then contacted police which led to Hamid's arrest and the conclusion that his intimate examination was not medically justified and was sexual assault. After this police began to search for other victims.

Hamid was charged and this triggered a letter from his employer, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which was sent to more than 700 patients. 

Patients were asked if they had any concerns they wished to report, but the letter did not name him. 

For the woman who triggered the police investigation into Hamid's offending, her feelings are mixed.

She said: 'I'll now always insist on seeing a female doctor, and if there's not one available I'll wait and put up with the pain until one is free. That's how he's left me feeling.

'I've seen countless doctors in the past and never felt any reservations about them, but what he did has changed all that and wrecked my confidence.'

She said she was pleased she contacted police and was proud this led to the investigation. She added: 'It's reassuring to think I might have saved other women from going through the same ordeal as me.'

Of the surgeon, who throughout his trial alleged his accusers were either lying or mistaken, she said: 'I don't hate him, I pity him.

'He's abused his position of trust and sacrificed his career, his livelihood and his reputation and for what? A few moments of weird gratification.

'The knowledge he'll be sent to prison and punished for what he's done will help me move on.'
Detective Inspector Ian Ingram, of West Midlands Police, has praised the woman for coming forward, and for the courage of other victims who also gave evidence. 

He said there could be more victims as Hamid had power over his patients because he was in a position of trust as their neurosurgeon. 

Mr Ingram said: 'Often they did tell family members about what took place and they were clearly upset by what took place, but they never came forward to police to explain what happened.

'And I think that's the power that this doctor had over them. He was in that position of trust. They doubted whether they would be believed, doubted whether it was medically justified what he had done.

'They had questions, and that's why it has taken so long for them to come forward.'

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