A former NHS boss who was struck off after sexually harassing a junior female colleague has secured a role at a charity supporting vulnerable women. Martin Duxbury, 55, resigned from his £77,000-a-year post as deputy head of radiotherapy at St James's Hospital in Leeds following three complaints about his behaviour.
Misconduct details
A disciplinary hearing found that Duxbury bombarded a junior staff member with lewd messages, which were deemed 'sexually motivated' and seeking 'sexual gratification'. He also acted in an unwanted 'flirtatious' manner towards another woman. In explicit WhatsApp messages, he gave the woman a multiple-choice answer to 'What do you want from me?' and said: 'I will devour you with option C… don’t agree it unless you are sure'.
He also booked her annual leave without her request and told her he had booked a hotel, adding 'Need you naked'. Other messages included references to performing sex acts and finding a quiet place for a liaison. When rebuffed, he told her: 'Right decision for you though… nothing worse than your boss devouring you on a regular basis.'
Charity role
Duxbury resigned before the Health Care and Professionals Tribunal reached its decision and received a glowing tribute from his union, the Society of Radiographers. The Express can reveal he now works as operations manager for the Leeds charity Hamara, earning £32,500 a year, which helps vulnerable families and females in the deprived Beeston district.
The tribunal struck Duxbury off in June, ruling his conduct 'represented a serious breach of professional boundaries towards colleagues, abuse of professional position towards junior and vulnerable colleagues, and conduct which was sexually motivated'. A male colleague's complaint about his aggressive behaviour was also upheld.
Reaction
An NHS insider expressed shock that he is now working for a charity, hoping they did their due diligence. Hamara was approached for comment. A Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust spokesperson said: 'As a matter of confidentiality, we do not discuss internal employment issues. We can, however, confirm that Martin Duxbury is no longer working for the trust.'
