Doctor guilty of sex crimes against female patients in North Lanarkshire
Krishna Singh abused his position as a GP to prey on 48 victims over 35 years
A North Lanarkshire doctor has been convicted of a catalogue of sex crimes against female patients.
Krishna Singh abused his position as a GP to prey on 48 victims over 35 years.
The 72-year-old’s crimes mainly consisted of sexual and indecent assault - with rape victims, teenagers and pregnant women among his victims.
They were subjected to kissing, groping, inappropriate examinations and sleazy comments during appointments.
"hiding in plain sight"
Prosecutors described how the predator was “hiding in plain sight” over the four decades.
He was even awarded an MBE for medical services during that time.
But, when one woman bravely reported him to the authorities in 2018 it sparked a massive probe into the GP’s offending.
Singh denied the crimes during a two-month trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
He insisted the patients were wrong - and that some of the examinations were what he had been taught during medical training in India.
But on Thursday Singh was convicted of 54 charges against the victims.
He was found not proven on nine others charges and not guilty on a further two.
Offences spanning decades, from 1983 to 2018
The offences mainly occurred at medical practices in North Lanarkshire, but also at a hospital accident and emergency department, a police station and during visits to patients' homes.
The charges spanned between February 1983 and May 2018.
Singh, of Airdrie, had been seen as a trusted pillar of the local community treating generations of families since becoming a GP in the area in the early 1980s.
It lead to him also being employed as a police casualty surgeon, which included examining victims of sexual violence.
Female patients 'uncomfortable' about going to see Dr. Singh
But, he soon gained a notoriety among female patients for how he behaved.
Many became so uncomfortable going to see him that they insisted a friend or relative joined them at appointments.
In her speech to jurors, prosecutor Angela Gray said: "The Crown case is that Dr Singh was in a routine of offending against women.
"Sometimes subtle or camouflaged, other times obvious and flagrant.
"Sexual offending was part of his working life. Access to women as when the situation arose and taking the chances when he could.”
He showed no emotion as the verdict were read out on Thursday.
Jurors had been out for more than two days deliberating.
Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.