Naleen Thota 55

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A senior doctor at a major Welsh hospital abused his position and power in order to sexually assault female members of staff, a court has heard.

Naleen Thota attacked his victims when they were on duty after he ensured they were alone together and there was no one around who could see what he was doing.

Swansea Crown Court heard statements from the victims in which they detailed the doctor's offending and its impact on them, with one saying how he "wielded his position of power like a weapon to hurt me and silence me". The judge said the two complainants had shown "enormous courage and strength" in reporting the assaults and then in giving evidence against the defendant at trial.

The court heard 55-year-old Thota was a senior doctor in the intensive care unit at Swansea's Morriston Hospital when he cornered and sexually assaulted his two victims, the sex attacks taking place on different days. The court heard the assaults were not reported by the women at the time as they were concerned about his position of power in the hospital and were worried that they would not be believed. The offending was eventually reported but the defendant denied any wrong doing and the matter went to trial.

Naleen Thota, of Keepers Close, Penllergaer, Swansea, had previously been convicted at trial of two counts of sexual assault when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.

In statements read to the court by prosecution barrister Craig Jones, the complainants set out the impact of the assaults on them. One woman described how Thota had "wielded his position of power like a weapon to hurt me and silence me". She said she was afraid she would not be believed if she reported the assault and felt isolated and scared.

She said the "violation" at the hands of Thota took her mental health "to a very dark place" but said the guilty verdicts of the jury had restored her belief that if you speak up, people will believe you. In her statement, the second victim described the defendant's behaviour as "predatory and calculating" and said he had sought out and groomed his victims. She said Thota presented a "friendly façade" to fellow doctors which hid his true nature, and she said she had sought counselling to try to deal with what he did to her.

Hywel Davies, for Thota, said the defendant trained as a doctor in his native India then moved to the UK some 22 years ago and had spent all but one month of that time in Swansea. He said a meeting to determine the defendant's employment locally was due to take place soon, and he said whether Thota would ever practise medicine again was unknown.

The barrister said that whatever the sentence imposed by court, the reality was the family would likely have to sell their house and downsize and, because of the shame the defendant had brought on the family, likely move to another area. He said the defendant was already doing work to address his views about the workplace, and he invited the court to find that the prison sentence that was due for the offending was not one that had to be served immediately.

Judge Catherine Richards said the two complainants had shown "enormous courage and strength" in reporting the assaults and then in giving evidence against the defendant at trial. She told Thota that like sexual offenders before him "these offences were born out of the exercise of power that was used against these women without regard to the impact on them". She noted the defendant's seniority in the hospital and his reputation among colleagues but said it was exactly those factors which made Thota think that he could get away with his behaviour, and she called it a "gross and calculated abuse of power and position". She told Thota he had brought shame and disgrace on his family.

The judge said the offending clearly crossed the custody threshold and the real question for the court was whether immediate custody was the only appropriate punishment. She said the defendant's continued denial of guilt meant there was little prospect of rehabilitation and she noted the doctor's career would, "rightly", be curtailed in the future which would reduce his risk of re-offending.. The judge said she also had in mind the impact of immediate prison on Thota's wife and daughters, and the current prison population.

Thota was sentenced to 21 months in prison suspended for two years and was ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work and to complete a rehabilitation course. He was also made the subject of 10-year restraining orders. Thota will be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years.