A DISGRACED doctor has been struck off the medical register after he sexually assaulted a female colleague after a late-night procedure, a tribunal heard.

At the time of the incident, Dr Senthil Gopalakrishnan, 53, was practising as a specialty doctor in anaesthetics at Dorset County Hospital in Dorset.

Dr Gopalakrishnan was the anaesthetist on duty at the hospital and was called to assist with a procedure that was being performed in the emergency department. 

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) heard that at around 2am on April 2, 2021, during a shift with his colleague at the hospital, Dr Gopalakrishnan acted in a sexually motivated way towards her.

The doctor had allegedly touched the colleague's breasts over her bra and pressed his erect penis against their leg.

On the night of the incident, the tribunal heard that Dr Gopalakrishnan pushed her backwards into a staff bedroom.

She then alleged that Dr Gopalakrishnan proceeded to lift her vest and her scrub top, placed both his hands under her top and rubbed her over her bra.

The victim claimed that the ordeal lasted for 10 to 15 minutes.

She also claimed that Dr Gopalakrishnan had an erection and that she could feel this through her scrubs.

At one stage, the victim alleged that Dr Gopalakrishnan asked her to lie down on the bed, and when she refused, he said ‘well, at least show me your top half’.

The victim said that she did not shout or scream and felt frozen by what was happening to her and by the end of the incident, she was close to tears.

These alleged actions resulted in an abuse of his senior position as a doctor, the tribunal heard.

Dr Gopalakrishnan was found not guilty of the sexual assault at Bournemouth Crown Court in May 2022.

The medical panel found him guilty of serious professional misconduct and his name has now been erased from the medical register.

A spokesperson for Dorset County Hospital said: “We take all allegations of assault extremely seriously and would like to reassure staff that anyone raising concerns will be fully supported through the process.

“We want our staff to feel confident in raising any concerns they have and we have a firm focus on ensuring staff have clear routes to access all appropriate support and advice.

“We immediately took steps to ensure staff and patient safety when the allegation was made and Mr Gopalakrishnan no longer works for the Trust.”

Dr Gopalakrishnan was also found guilty of professional misconduct relating to similar incidents that took place in 2010 and 2011.