Doctor accused of molesting women ten years after inquiry

A hospital doctor molested two women almost ten years after detectives dropped a criminal investigation into claims he sexually assaulted a nurse during a night shift, a tribunal has heard.

Doctor accued of molesting women ten years after police inquiry. Picture: John Devlin

Dr Maher Khetyar had been accused in 2004 of cornering the nurse in his office and unzipping her tunic before he exposed her breasts and said: “You have a nipple ring, do you have any others?”

But although police were called in to investigate the incident at Caithness General Hospital in Wick the probe was shelved and the nurse left her job feeling she was “made out to be a liar”.

Officers contacted her again in 2014 when two other women came forward to say they had been molested by Khetyar while he was treating them at hospitals almost 700 miles in Surrey and Buckinghamshire. One known as Patient B said Khetyar cupped her breasts in his hands whilst he was examining her on a ward at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey in July 2012.

The other known as Patient C said Khetyar squeezed her breasts after he asked her to undo her top during an examination at High Wycombe Hospital in July 2013 when she requested paracetamol for a headache.

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, Syrian-born Khetyar, now 45 and a married father of two of Slough, Berks, denied sexual behaviour towards the nurse and two patients.

The nurse known as Ms A told the hearing how the doctor would make her feel “uncomfortable” with his “over friendly” behaviour when she was working alongside him.

She added: “I found him to be touchy feely and I felt he invaded my personal space. I felt a little intimidated by him although I felt it was his nature being over nice and over friendly. He did try to get my phone number, asked if I was seeing anybody, did I have a boyfriend and did I like doctors.

“But I was in a very happy and strong relationship at the time, I was in love and had no grounds to flirt with anybody else.”

The hearing was told the incident occurred on 19 October 2004 whilst Ms A was being supervised by senior colleagues under an action plan due to mistakes she had previously made whilst distributing medication to patients.

She said: “The whole thing was disgusting and horrible. I only wish somebody had walked in and I would not have to sit through this now.”

The hearing continues.