- Khaled Ismail, 49, is respected gynaecologist based at University of Birmingham
- Four colleagues have complained about sexual misconduct over two year period
- Ismail, from Shropshire, denies misconduct and is currently being investigated
Pictured: Khaled Ismail, 49, is accused of sexual misconduct
A gynaecology professor described as arrogant groped a midwife's bottom as she was delivering twins and stroked a student's thigh as she helped him with an operation, a tribunal heard.
Khaled Ismail, 49, was working as a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist based at the University of Birmingham at the time.
Four unnamed women told the hearing they felt 'embarrassed' by his fondling over a two-year period but were too scared to speak out due to his respected position within the hospital.
A string of junior colleagues who have launched a complain about him said they believed he thought his 'confidence, arrogance and seniority' would stop them reporting him.
In one instance, Ismail grabbed a students' bottoms and rubbed himself up against one midwife as she was helping deliver twin babies, it was alleged.
But he was ordered to face a disciplinary hearing after a PhD student he worked with told how Ismail ran his little finger up and down her thigh and proceeded to follow her into her office during an encounter.
She had initially kept quiet about the incident but came forward alleging he grabbed her bottom as she assisted him during a surgical procedure after he was appointed her PhD assessor.
At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing today, the woman known as Dr A said she wanted to speak to someone who was senior but had experiences 'that you don't forget'.
She described how he came to sit next to her while she was explaining something and she suddenly felt his fingers on her leg.
Dr A said: 'He came and sat next to me whilst explaining and I felt his finger rubbing up and down my right upper thigh. I looked down and saw his hand. It felt like a finger stroking, when it kept happening I knew it was deliberate, I found his hand close to my leg with his little finger.
She said: 'I was sure this was not an accident, it was deliberate. It lasted for about a minute and a half. I was in an embarrassing and difficult situation, you don't react as you would if you were calm in your normal behaviour.'
Four unnamed women told the hearing they felt 'embarrassed' by his fondling over a two-year period but were too scared to speak out due to his respected position within the hospital
Dr A then described how he followed her into her office and she felt afraid.
She said: 'I came out from a horrible situation and went to my office and before I could collect my thoughts he comes in. I'm sitting at my desk shocked and upset and he came in and pulled up a chair, I felt intimidated and scared.
'He had that confidence and arrogance to come into my office after that and asked me to show him the programme, I was stunned.
Ismail of Market Drayton, Shropshire denies misconduct
'At that stage I was very upset, I didn't think how this would affect other people or myself, I was upset and scared. I was embarrassed and ashamed of what happened and didn't know what to do for the best.
'He absolutely did touch me, he was in that room and I didn't notice him come in. I was completely engrossed (in the computer) and felt a grabbing sensation on my left buttock, I turned around, he was there and looked guilty.'
But she said she didn't have the courage to speak up about it and told the hearing the negative impact it had left.
Dr A said: 'This whole experience has destroyed my life for the last couple of years, you have no idea what I've gone through for me to make an allegation for no reason whatsoever doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
'I had an awful experience very recently, I said enough was enough and I didn't want to see this person any longer, be in the same room as him and get asked questions by him.'
The alleged incidents occurred while Egyptian-born Ismail was working at Birmingham Women's Hospital.
The Manchester hearing was told a midwife known as Nurse B, was helping a woman deliver twins when she felt a 'firm' hand on her bottom and turned to see Prof Ismail stood behind her. He didn't offer assistance with the delivery but instead moved closer to her until his inner thigh was pushing up against her leg.
Another midwife claimed she felt Ismail's hand touching her upper thigh and moving slowly up and down as she stood with a patient. She explained how she stood 'frozen and felt 'powerless' to stop him.
The fourth woman, a PhD student known as Dr D, was in a committee meeting when she claims that Prof Ismail maneuvered his chair close to her and began to run his finger up and down her leg leaving her feeling 'confused and vulnerable'.
Counsel for the General Medical Council Tom Forster said Ismail's motivation in these cases was 'sexual' and said he would 'pick' on women who were junior to him.
Mr Forster said: 'Dr Ismail, a very senior and highly respected professor, pursued a course of behaviour in which he intentionally touched four colleagues - his motivation being a sexual one.
'He touched each in a very similar manner on their legs or bottom using his finger or hand and picked on women very much junior to him, either PhD students or midwives.
'This meant that each was reluctant to report what happened as they feared a complaint on so senior a colleague would not be believed and would have an adverse impact.'
He added: 'Dr A said she was touched three times on two separate dates. She met Dr Ismail for the first time and when she attended a meeting later that year to seek his advice about her PhD when she visited him in his office.
'She said she was in a difficult position, she was his junior and he was respected. She was worried how her report might affect her further prospects, she thought the best course was avoid him as much as she could.
'He emailed her on the day of the incident itself and two days later, which she responded to. The email on the day said 'nice to speak to you today many thanks for letting me know about Prezi, maybe we can meet some time later on for an update'. His mobile number was provided.
'She didn't respond to that and there was another communication on June 27 saying ' hope your presentation went well today best wishes'. There is a reply the next say 'thank you for your mail, the presentation went well and I've been upgraded to a PhD, many thanks for your help'. Dr Ismail responded 'very well done never doubted this'.
'There was very little further contact until two years later. Dr Ismail was appointed her PhD assessor. While Dr A was stood in a small room adjacent to an operating theatre he grabbed her left buttock.
'Later that year Nurse B complains she was touched when she attended upon a patient who was giving birth to twins. She felt Dr Ismail's hand press firmly against her left buttock as she moved away he pressed his thigh into hers.
'She said there was an occasion where at about 7am following a night shift, she attended a delivery of twins and was on the patient's left hand side and became aware of Dr Ismail's left hand behind her. The touching became firmer against her bottom and she was in a confined, small amount of space.
'He didn't assist but pressed his inner thigh against her bottom. He had plenty of room to move around, there was a metre of space behind him. This was quite deliberate touching.'
The counsel went on to describe how Nurse C was touched when she was tending to a patient during a ward round.
'This caused her to freeze and she felt powerless to prevent this behaviour. Like the other complainants the incident left her feeling vulnerable and uncomfortable, she tried to avoid Dr Ismail as much as she could and was unable to put the matter out of her mind and confided in another midwife who confirmed something similar happened to her.'
'Dr D said she was touched in a sexual manner on two occasions. She's clear one occurred in the committee room ad one was in the doctor's office. Dr Ismail maneuvered his chair to sit very close to her in an echo of what happened to Dr A.
'In a further echo he began to run his finger up and down her leg, she felt embarrassed and powerless to stop him like, Dr A the incident left her feeling confused and vulnerable, she didn't report it at the time. Dr Ismail sat next to her in a meeting and on an intermittent and persistent basis, ran his finger up and down her leg. In another meeting he ran his finger up and down her leg and back.
'Each incident was uninvited and represented an unwarranted intrusion. On each and every occasion his behaviour was sexually motivated.'
Ismail of Market Drayton, Shropshire denies misconduct. The hearing continues.
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