Asian Neurosurgeon charged with Sexual Assault

A Birmingham neurosurgeon has been charged with the sexual assault of female patients in two Birmingham hospitals.

Mr Nafees Ahmad Hamid, aged 50, was charged with 11 cases of sexual assault while working in some of Birmingham’s biggest hospitals including Priory Hospital in Edgbaston and the new Queen Elizabeth (QE) Hospital.

He was initially charged with assaulting one female patient during an examination at the private BMI Priory in June 2013. Police later discovered 10 more assault cases made against him – all of which took place between January 2011 and February 2013 at both Priory and QE.

Hamid is a specialist spinal neurosurgeon. Considered an expert in the field, he started his residency in 1990 after obtaining his medical qualifications from Pakistan, where he obtained a FCPS degree in Neurosurgery.

He then underwent some additional training in the UK and was awarded the Norman Dott Medal for achieving the most outstanding performance in the FRCS (SN) Intercollegiate Examination.

As a neurosurgeon, Hamid specialises in key areas of spinal research, including; minimally invasive spinal surgery, intra-dural spinal tumours and spinal fusion. In particular, Hamid has been working on new innovative research which helps with back pain and neck pain resulting from spinal inflammation.

Hamid is currently employed by the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust which began an internal investigation following the first assault charge.

Of the West Midland Police Public Protection Unit, Detective Inspector Ian Ingram said: “We are working closely with the Trust as part of our ongoing investigation.”

Hamid who was due to plead at Birmingham City Crown court in March 2014, has been allowed a 3 week extension by Judge Patrick Thomas QC.

His court date was adjourned to allow prosecutor’s more time to obtain evidence and prepare for his impending case.

His trial date is also expected to be around September 1, 2014 and should last for 3 weeks.

For the prosecution, Peter Grieves-Smith QC said: “The position is that there are matters just served, in particular the defendant’s interviews just after his first arrest, and medical records as well.”

The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust also responded to the assault charges in 2013 by removing Hamid from practicing medicine for the duration of his court case.

One Trust spokesperson explained: “Mr Hamid has been excluded from practising at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham until the criminal investigation is complete because of the seriousness of the allegation.

“The Trust has written to patients treated in the Neurosurgical Department informing them of the internal investigation.”

A BMI Healthcare representative also added: “As Mr Hamid has been charged we cannot comment further. We will continue to cooperate fully with the police.”

A well known Pakistani doctor, Hamid lives in Moseley, Birmingham. The charges of sexual assault have shocked the local Pakistani community, many of which have built their careers within medicine.

Countless doctors hailing from South Asia have formed an integral part of Britain’s healthcare system and have contributed to some outstanding discoveries in the field of medicine that have abetted scientific discovery over the last thirty and forty years.

It is through these foreign recruits that Britain was able to build up the NHS into the multi-cultural organisation that it is today. That being said, cases made against doctors, particularly against those of a South Asian origin are becoming more and more common.

Outside of Birmingham, there have been numerous cases of South Asians being charged or accused of assault over the years. In February 2014, Dr Yaqub Dhahiwala was acquitted of all charges of inappropriately groping a female patient. In the relatively short trial, the Judge found that the patient lied about the sexual assault because Dhahiwala, aged 30, refused to give her free treatment for her stretch marks.

Another case involved GP Davinder Jeet Bains, aged 46, who used a secret camera embedded in a ‘James Bond’ style watch which was used to film himself assaulting numerous female patients on countless occasions.

He was found to have abused 27 women between 15 and 51 years of age during July 2010 and May 2012. He was jailed for 12 years for 39 charges and 65 offences.

While such cases of assault are rare in hospitals overall, the NHS will most certainly be looking to hone in on inappropriate behaviour and physical and sexual abuse towards patients seeking care and treatment from qualified staff.