“Creepy” Havant GP who groped cancer sufferer's breasts found guilty of sexually assaulting three women

Mohan Babu, 47, of Emsworth, was found guilty by jury of four counts of sexual assault in Portsmouth Crown Court today (January 31) following a three week trial. Court heard that the former GP at the Staunton Surgery in Civic Centre Road, Havant, ordered one of his patients to take her top off before groping her. The sexual assaults took place between September 2019 and July 2021.

The GP targeted the three women - the youngest of whom was 19 - at the surgery where he worked alongside his doctor wife, inappropriately touching them and making "creepy" comments. A receptionist he previously worked with said the doctor of 20 years had grabbed her and boasted that he was "a lion going to eat her", a court heard.

Babu was the most-complained about doctor at the surgery and had repeated warnings over his behaviour, jurors were told. Portsmouth Crown Court heard five other women including a receptionist at his former workplace complained about his 'over familiar' behaviour, however criminal proceedings were not brought about their complaints. All of the women he allegedly assaulted asked for a new GP. Prosecutor Miranda Moore KC told the court Babu targeted "vulnerable" women after he joined the surgery as a locum doctor in April 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. 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. 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. Five other women - four patients at Staunton Surgery and the receptionist at his previous surgery - also made complaints, however they did 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 denied all seven counts made against him. Babu was found not guilty of three offences of sexual assault against a further two women. He has been placed on conditional bail and will appear at Portsmouth Crown Court on April 12 for sentencing.