Woman allegedly abused by paedophile doctor receives five-figure settlement
A woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a doctor while being treated for blood clots at Birmingham Children’s Hospital has been awarded a five-figure settlement by the trust.
The woman, now 26, was allegedly attacked by prolific paedophile Dr Myles Bradbury, who is serving a 16-year sentence for sex attacks against young boys.
Bradbury admitted 25 offences including sexual assault and voyeurism while working at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge between 2009 and 2013.
He was jailed for his crimes at Addenbrooke’s in 2014 but the alleged attack against the woman took place between October 2007 and November 2008 before Bradbury took the job in Cambridge.
Bradbury allegedly arranged an appointment with her to see whether she would be suitable for a certain type of medication in light of her family’s history of blood clots.
He then requested she remove her clothing for an unnecessary physical examination without a parent in the room and then sexually assaulted her, the legal papers said.
It was claimed the hospital, which is part of the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, failed to protect young patients by ensuring they were appropriately chaperoned at appointments.
The trust made no formal admission of liability and a spokesman said the settlement had been agreed via solicitors instructed on its behalf.
The claimant, who cannot be named, decided to come forward after receiving a letter from the trust in the wake of Bradbury’s conviction for his crimes at Addenbrooke’s.
She said: “When the letter arrived from the hospital I thought back to when I had seen Bradbury and how inappropriate my examination had been.
“When you are young and naive you don’t have a full understanding of what has happened.
“It was difficult to come forward, but I am glad I did. I hope that by me coming forward, if there are other boys and girls who were abused by him, they will come forward too.
She added: “You try and convince yourself that something like this has not affected you, but it does. I have lost my trust in health professionals.”
“My 18-month-old daughter had to go to A&E recently and it was a male doctor, and I wasn’t comfortable with that.
“I haven’t heard of any other girls coming forward, and have seen that all his convictions were against boys, but I don’t believe that I was the only girl to have been hurt in this way.”
An investigation into Bradbury at Addenbrooke’s revealed he repeatedly breached chaperone policy by abusing boys behind curtains even if their parents were in the room, or by seeing them alone.
He also took advantage of flexibility in the trust’s appointment booking system to meet families outside usual times.
He would win their trust by giving him his direct number so they could contact him outside clinic hours.
When staff did question some of Bradbury’s actions, they were always given a “plausible” explanation.
It was also noted he was reluctant to have medical students with him when he saw patients.
Renu Daly, of Hudgell Solicitors, said: “This has been a case of great concern as the allegations pre-date all convictions relating to Bradbury’s time at Addenbrooke’s.
“We know from his admitted offending that Bradbury abused his position and created opportunities for himself to be alone with young children to sexually assault them, and that his offending was frequent.
“It opens his time at Birmingham up to greater scrutiny and could well prove the catalyst for more people to question their treatment at his hands now they are adults,” she added.
A spokesman for the trust in Birmingham said: “Our thoughts are with the victims of Myles Bradbury, who have suffered a great deal of harm and distress.
“Bradbury’s shocking actions, for which he was jailed in 2014, represented the worst breach of trust one could imagine for the patients and families involved.
“The safety of the children and young people we see is a priority. When these allegations came to light we contacted all of the families under Bradbury’s care to offer support and advice – referring any concerns to the police.
“At the time, we also conducted a thorough review of our approach to chaperoning to offer families further reassurance around the safety of their children, while in our care.
“This is something we continuously audit.”
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2018, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) David Jones / PA Wire.
