A disgraced doctor faces imprisonment for sex crimes against 48 patients after hiding in the open for nearly four decades.
Kirshna Singh, 72, abused his position as a respected family doctor in North Lanarkshire to subject dozens of women victims to unwanted kisses, groping, inappropriate examinations and obscene comments.
On Thursday, the jury convicted Singh – who was appointed MBE for medical services and treated generations of families since the 1980s – on 54 charges against the victims. These include a woman who has been raped, teenage children and pregnant women.
They rejected his claims that patients were wrong and that he had been taught some of the examinations, such as touching the breasts “simultaneously”, during medical training in India.
The doctor was like Benny Hill
The crimes, covering February 1983 and May 2018, were committed mainly in medical practices in North Lanarkshire. However, crimes were also committed in hospital accidents and ambulances and police stations, as well as in visits to patients’ homes. Singh was also hired as a police surgeon, which included examinations of victims of sexual violence.
Nine other crimes were not proven until Singh was acquitted on two other charges.
His crime has remained unsolved for decades, although some witnesses say his misconduct has become a “joke” among local women. Many became so embarrassed to see him that they insisted that a friend or relative join them in the meetings.
Woman after woman entered the witness box during the two-month trial at Glasgow Supreme Court to tell how they suffered at his hands.
An ex-patient described how Singh would “push and push” around the line of her pants, even if it was a sore throat test.
One told the trial that Airdrie’s GP, Lanarkshire, was “like Benny Hill” by feeling her breasts and saying “big tits”.
“Routine for insults against women”
It wasn’t until a #MeToo-inspired woman reported Singh at NHS Lanarkshire in 2018 that an investigation was launched and the scale of his crime became clear. He will be convicted next month.
Speaking to jurors, Angela Gray, the prosecutor, said: “Crown’s case is that Dr Singh was on a routine of crime against women.
“Sometimes subtle or disguised, other times obvious and flashy. Sexual insults were part of his working life.
“Quick feeling, looking in the intimate area, obscene comment. That was his way of working, hiding from view.”
A man confessed to jurors that he threatened to attack Singh after he caught him touching his then-pregnant wife in a meeting in the mid-1990s.
The witness recalled: “Dr. Singh approached us and put his hands palms up – and then squeezed her chest two or three times. Then he said, “Your breasts are getting big.”
“I said, ‘Get your hands off her’ or I’ll hit you out the window.” Then he ran away. “
Other victims said they considered Singh a “sage” and a “little pervert.”
“Disgusting breach of trust”
Singh showed no emotion when the verdicts were read on Thursday. The crimes consist mainly of numerous sexual and indecent assaults.
Defending him, Janice Green asked Singh to remain on bail until his “physical and mental health” was investigated. His bail lasted until the verdict was handed down.
Dr Linda Findley, medical director of the South Lanarkshire Partnership for Health and Welfare, said GPs across the region were “shocked” by the case and “strongly condemned” Singh’s actions.
She added: “Krishna Singh’s actions were a heinous breach of trust and a total abuse of the patient-physician relationship.
“We know that this has been an extremely difficult time for the affected patients and relatives, and we thank them for the courage to come out and report their concerns to the police.
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