Disgraced Romford GP found guilty of sexually assaulting women.

A former GP in Romford has been found guilty of 25 counts of sexual assault against four women over a four year period. 

Disgraced Romford based GP Manish Shah, 53 was convicted of 25 counts of sexual assault on Wednesday, 14 December at the Old Bailey. 

The court heard that over a four year period from 2009 to July 2013, Shah took advantage of his position of trust as a Medical General Practitioner in Romford, to persuade women to have invasive examinations when there was no medical need for them, doing this for his own sexual gratification.

Each victim reported a similar pattern of behaviour against Shah. Explaining that he seemed to be a good doctor and was friendly and caring.

Using his position and the relationship he had created with them, he convinced the victims that they would need extra examinations to explore if there was anything more serious about the minor conditions they had attended for.

None of these examinations were needed or requested by the patients themselves. He intentionally misinformed the victims that the examinations were necessary and completed them without any justification.

As well as conducting unnecessary examinations, Shah, using his position and abusing the victim’s trust, would go against protocol and not offer chaperones to join the victims during their appointments, leaving them alone with him to carry out these acts.

Commander Kevin Southworth, said: “The impact these crimes have on victims will stay with them for the rest of their lives. At the Met, we are dedicated in supporting victims throughout all steps of investigations, right from the first report, to seeing justice being served at court. I encourage anyone who feels they have been a victim of sexual assault, domestic abuse or harassment to report it to police.”

The case was led by the Met’s Complex Investigation Team who liaised extensively with medical experts to establish that the improper examinations constituted a sexual offence.

Detective Chief Inspector Tariq Farooqi, said: “I would like to thank those who attended court to give evidence against Shah. I hope that this verdict goes some way to reassuring the public that we treat all complaints seriously and investigate them thoroughly no matter who they are against.

“This conviction against an individual who is supposed to be a trusted pillar of the community, should not undermine the great work carried out by our medical professionals day in and day out.”

Shah appears for sentencing at the same court on 9 January 2023.