A Nigerian healthcare worker, Adewale Kudabo, has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in the United Kingdom after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a female patient at York Hospital.

According to The Press (Yorkpress.co.uk), Kudabo, 47, committed the offences while working at the hospital, a facility under the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Prosecutor Henry Fernandez told the court that the assaults occurred after Kudabo had been assigned to bathe a female patient who was experiencing severe pain.

Fernandez explained that the sexual misconduct did not occur during the bathing process but rather afterward. Kudabo, he said, leaned down and kissed the patient on the lips, catching her off guard and leaving her in a state of confusion and discomfort. Despite her pain, the victim tried to pull away but was unable to avoid the kiss.

A few days later, Kudabo again offered the patient a bed bath and attempted to kiss her a second time. The victim again tried to escape but was unable to prevent the unwanted contact. She subsequently reported the assaults to the police.

During the sentencing on Tuesday, June 10, Judge Alex Menary said Kudabo had “abused the trust” placed in him as a healthcare professional and declared that the severity of the offences warranted an immediate custodial sentence.

“You abused that trust,” the judge told Kudabo, adding that the victim had suffered anxiety and flashbacks as a result of the incidents. Kudabo pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault on the first day of his trial in April. He will serve half of the 12-month sentence before becoming eligible for release.

Jerry Sodipe, who defended Kudabo, told the court that his client had no prior convictions, had shown remorse, and had only intended to comfort the patient. “He has held up his hands to say yes, he is guilty. He shouldn’t have done that,” Sodipe said.

Kudabo, who moved to the UK from Nigeria with his family for work, has since lost his job.

Following the court proceedings, the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust issued a statement apologizing to the victim and confirming that Kudabo was no longer employed there.

“Patients should always feel safe and respected while in our care, and we deeply regret that this was not the case,” the Trust stated. “We acted swiftly and decisively, and the individual involved left our employment soon afterwards.”

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