Court told of sex assault after surgery

Jan 28 2010 by Rob Kennedy, The Journal

A PATIENT at a private hospital in the region has told how she came round from anaesthetic to find herself being sexually assaulted.

The woman told a court that as she woke up after surgery, she felt someone molesting her.

Prosecutors say her attacker was male nurse Gavin Nicholson, who is on trial accused of a series of sexual assaults.

Now jurors at Newcastle Crown Court have heard from a young woman who is alleged to have been abused by Nicholson while attending the Washington Spires hospital, previously owned by Bupa, for reconstructive breast surgery.

The woman said she was left feeling “shocked, confused and ashamed” after the incident and was initially too scared to tell anyone what had happened.

She said: “I couldn’t open my eyes as a result of the anaesthetic, but I heard the voice of a man with a local accent. Then I could feel someone touching me. I was extremely confused and shocked and I was still not able to move or open my eyes.”

She finally sent an anonymous email to the hospital reporting what had happened. It read: “Please don’t let this happen again, if you need to install cameras to catch this man please do it.