BRADFORD HOSPITAL SURGEON JAILED FOR GROPING FEMALE COLLEAGUE
Jon Smith, a 44-year-old married surgeon from Weeton, North Yorkshire, was convicted of sexually assaulting a female colleague during a Christmas celebration.He was found guilty of 'squeezing' her breasts at a lively work Christmas party held at Bertie's nightclub in Elland on December 14, 2019.
The victim, who was 28 years old and engaged to be married, described feeling 'frozen' as Smith sexually assaulted her inside an Audi vehicle on the night of the incident.
Court reports state that Smith also 'aggressively' rubbed her crotch over her trousers while they were traveling in the car.
The court heard that Smith had been bragging about being 'the best orthopaedic surgeon in Yorkshire,' which made the victim hesitant to report him earlier out of fear of losing her job.
The victim eventually reported the assault to her manager and later to police.
Several witnesses, including physiotherapist Natalie Heginbotham and others, testified to Smith's inappropriate and harassing behavior earlier in the evening, with Heginbotham recalling how Smith had made unwelcome comments and asked her if she was going to kiss him.
Smith's conduct was described as 'weird' and 'creepy,' with evidence indicating he made comments about his marital issues and joked about having a 'boner.' The court also noted that Smith was employed at Spire Healthcare hospital in Elland when the assault occurred.
Court sentencing resulted in Smith being jailed for one year for two counts of sexual assault, acknowledging his behavior as gross misconduct.
He was also ordered to register as a sex offender and to undertake further counseling.
The victim expressed relief after the sentence, describing feeling 'disgusting' and 'totally ashamed,' but also hopeful that justice was served and that her courage to report would help prevent similar incidents in the future.
