A 42-year-old doctor from Nigeria, Abiodun Bale, assaulted a lady, Sheena Cunningham, as she tried to leave his consultation room in tears after they argued over treatment for a facial condition.
However, the doctor denied assault, when he appeared in court.
Dr. Bale was found guilty after a two-day trial. He was given a six-month conditional discharge but will face a disciplinary hearing at work and could lose his job.
Dr. Bale, who graduated the University of Lagos in 1995, worked as a gynaecologist in Nigeria before coming to the UK and registering with the General Medical Council in 2006.
He was given a licence to practise here in November 2009 and was on a placement, for speciality GP training, at Hyndburn Medical Practice in Accrington, Lancashire, when the assault happened on March 26.
Dr. Bale has asked Mrs. Cunningham to come in to the practice after a telephone consultation about a problem with her face, during which she had become distressed.
When she arrived, the doctor told Mrs. Cunningham she might need to call for an ambulance if her condition deteriorated later when the surgery was closed.
She didn’t want to do this and at this point he raised his voice.
Mrs. Cunningham was frightened, got up to leave and said she wanted a second opinion. Dr. Bale became agitated and, as she stepped out, he grabbed her hand to prevent her closing the door.
This attracted the attention of another doctor and two cleaners. The other doctor told Bale to go back into his office and then escorted Mrs. Cunningham out of the surgery.
The court was told that a week earlier the GP, who lives in Manchester, ‘flipped’ at another patient, shouting at her: “For God’s sake, I have other people to see besides you.”
She got up to leave and he tried to grab her hand. She felt frightened and vulnerable.
Dr. Bale claimed the incident with Mrs. Cunningham was a misunderstanding, saying:
“I’m a doctor, not a thug.”
However, the prosecution denied his words:
“There was no mistake or misunderstanding. She was crying so loudly that two ladies outside heard her crying.”
The Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust, which employs Bale, said he would face disciplinary proceedings.
Nigerian Doctor Attacked Female Patient Who Disagreed with Diagnosis
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