THE detective who led the investigation in the case of Dudley GP Jaswant Rathore who has today been jailed for 12 years for sexually assaulting patients has praised the bravery of his female victims in speaking out.

Rathore, a married father-of-five, had denied 18 charges of sexual assault at his Castle Meadows Surgery but he was found guilty on ten charges involving four patients when the jury returned their verdict yesterday (Wednesday) at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

And he was today starting a 12-year jail sentence for carrying out the assaults between 2008 and 2015 on four different women, aged between 20 and 32.

Detective Inspector Michelle Thurgood of West Midlands Police said: “Rathore was a respected and experienced doctor who abused his position of trust to assault these women when they were at their most vulnerable.

“Women who’ve suffered at his hands were left questioning ‘did that really happen’ and speculating ‘perhaps it was medically justified’ as they couldn’t believe a doctor would act in such a manner.

“We know there were also concerns amongst some patients that they wouldn’t be taken seriously and that their word wouldn’t be believed against those of a medical expert.

“Well we believed them - and I would like to thank the women who were brave enough to report him and stop other women potentially suffering at his hands."

Meanwhile - West Midlands health chiefs have urged any patients with concerns about the care they have received from a GP to call the NHS England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 311 22 33.

Dr Kiran Patel, medical director at NHS England (West Midlands) and Caroline Brunt, chief nurse at Dudley CCG, said: “The vast majority of doctors provide excellent care and work to the highest professional standards.  

“We are shocked and saddened at these recent events and our thoughts are with those patients affected. Dr Rathore was suspended from seeing patients as soon as the allegations were first made against him, in line with legal regulations.

“We believe this is an isolated case, but we understand that patients and the wider public in the Dudley area need to be confident that their GP services are safe.

“Due to the seriousness of the allegations, we have reviewed our existing systems and processes to ensure that we are informed at the earliest opportunity if any concerns of this nature are raised.

“Now that the case has been concluded, we will again consider our systems in the light of the evidence that we have now heard in court.”