A GP who committed 90 sexual assaults on 24 female patients has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years. Manish Shah, 50, was described as a 'master of deception' as he was handed three life sentences at the Old Bailey on Friday.
Shah persuaded patients, aged 15 to 39, to undergo unnecessary intimate examinations by citing the high-profile health cases of celebrities Angelina Jolie and Jade Goody. He flouted medical guidelines by giving healthy women under 25 smear tests and conducting breast examinations on those under 50.
The court heard that Shah preyed on women's vulnerabilities, including their family history of cancer, and did not always wear gloves during checks. In one instance, he left a woman entirely naked on an examination table. He also breached guidelines on the use of chaperones.
Shah was found guilty last autumn of 25 sexual offences against six victims at Mawney medical centre in Romford, east London, between 2009 and 2013. He had previously been convicted of offences relating to 18 other women in 2018.
Sentencing, Judge Anne Molyneux QC said Shah had deployed a 'mixture of flattery and fear' and abused his position of power. 'This was a horrible abuse of trust and caused incalculable harm,' she added. The Crown Prosecution Service commended the bravery of the victims who gave evidence.
