“Creepy” Havant GP groped cancer sufferer's breasts and sexually assaulted five women in his care, court heard

Dr Mohan Babu, of Emsworth, is accused of ordering his patient – who had terminal pancreatic cancer – to take her top off before complimenting her figure and then groping her. Jurors at Portsmouth Crown Court were told the 47-year-old allegedly targeted the women – the youngest being 19 – at the GP surgery where he worked alongside his doctor wife, inappropriately touching them and making “creepy” comments.

A receptionist he had worked with said the doctor of 20 years had grabbed her and boasted that he was 'a lion going to eat her'. Babu was the most-complained about doctor at Staunton Surgery in Civic Centre Road, Havant, and had repeated warnings over his behaviour, jurors were told. All of the women he allegedly assaulted between June 2019 and July 2021 asked for a new GP.

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Court heard five other women including a receptionist at his former workplace complained about his 'over familiar' behaviour, however criminal proceedings have not been brought about their complaints. "Nine women from the same surgery and a receptionist from his previous surgery; there's the pattern", prosecutor Miranda Moore KC said.

"What the women have in common is that they were all vulnerable." Opening Babu's trial, Ms Moore KC told jurors Dr Babu joined Staunton Surgery as a locum doctor in April of 2018. He was recommended by his wife, Dr Aroline Rodrigues, 43, who is a GP at the surgery. The first complaint about Babu's behaviour came in August 2019 – 16 months after he joined – and then another came “quite quickly”.

"The history of repeated an inappropriate behaviour and repeated warnings about his behaviour sets the scene for these offences", Ms Moore KC said. Between May and August in 2019, Babu held face-to-face consultations with a 57-year-old woman who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in June 2019. In three appointments, the now-deceased woman said Babu behaved inappropriately.

Ms Moore KC said: "She made [the first] appointment about the cancer. Dr Babu greeted her by saying 'do you want a hug?' She was very fragile and very emotional. Dr Babu told her she had a 0.01 per cent chance of having cancer. At her next appointment in June, after she had been diagnosed, Babu asked if he could check her breasts and told her: "You have a lovely figure and lovely breasts."

Ms Moore KC said the woman visited Babu for a third time as she had to cancel a holiday due to her illness and needed a doctor's note. "She said he instructed her to lie on the couch to listen to her heart", Ms Moore KC said. "He locked the door and didn't offer her a chaperone. "He asked her to lift her top and she asked why and he said so he can check for lumps.

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"He lingered while examining her breasts and pulled her nipples. She felt he spent far too long there and didn't feel comfortable. She was shocked, she froze, and she looked at the ceiling. He proceeded to move his hands under her lower body clothing, under her skirt. She asked him to stop. He pulled her closer to him and she could feel he had an erection. She saw his zip was undone and she could see his erection."

The court heard at this point Babu said to the uncomfortable woman: "I'm helping you, you need to touch it so I can help you." It was heard the woman asked the surgery to change her GP but didn't report it to a female palliative care nurse until over a year later, in September 2020, as she didn't want to spend her final days chasing a prosecution.

An investigation commenced and it emerged many other women complained about Babu and asked for a new GP to replace him. Ms Moore KC told the jury about the alleged sexual assaults that happened to four other patients. One patient, a 19 year old girl, visited Babu in February 2020 as she was struggling with anxiety. "He paid her compliments like 'you are a beautiful girl', Ms Moore KC said.

"He listened to her chest from behind and counted the freckles on her back – 'one, two, three, four' – while lightly touching her skin as he did so. "As she got up to leave, he took hold of her hands and he kissed her on the cheek." From April to July 2021, a married mother visited Babu three times after a neck injury. In the first two appointments, Babu asked for hugs and told her she was “cute”. She thought the GP was just being “nice”. At the third appointment, he asked her to take her top off to check for moles.

Ms Moore KC said: "He smoothed her breasts up and down about 20 times, she recalls, telling her it was 'lovely and smooth'. He then made the wholly inappropriate comment 'ohh I'm not having a bad day'. He hugged her for about a minute and asked for a kiss. She noticed his breathing was heavy." The woman's son later came to the surgery “to have it out” with Babu but he was not there.

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One patient, who attended the surgery from September 2019 to June 2020 with knee and hip issues, said Babu hugged her and asked for her number. In one examination with the patient, Babu allegedly held her knee with one hand and used his other hand to “cup” her genitals and squeeze. Another patient with stomach issues was allegedly sexually assaulted twice in April 2021, once when Babu touched her vagina with his pinky finger and once when she felt his penis was touching her hand.

The “teary” woman complained to her dad that she had been “fondled”. Five other women – four patients at Staunton Surgery and the receptionist at his previous surgery – also made complaints, however they do not form part of the criminal charges. The receptionist said he regularly grabbed her waist and once told her “he was a lion and was going to eat her”.

A patient claimed he was “creepy” as he asked her to “remove the mask so he could see her pretty face”, another was quizzed about her sex life, and another was hugged. Babu stopped working at Staunton Surgery in July 2021, at which point he was under police investigation. He denies seven counts of sexual assault in relation to five patients, insisting he was being friendly and innocent. The three week trial continues.