GP sexually assaulted women during examinations after road accidents

GP sexually assaulted women he was examining after road traffic accidents Muhammad Iqbal, 64, was charged in connection with separate incidents taking place in Darlington and Sunderland during 2023 - Bookmark A GP who sexually assaulted two female patients during medical consultations following road traffic collisions has been jailed, police have confirmed. Muhammad Iqbal, 64, from Julianstown, County Meath, Ireland, was charged in connection with separate incidents taking place in Darlington and Sunderland during 2023. The women had been referred to Iqbal for physiotherapy sessions organised by their insurance companies after they were involved in road traffic accidents. In the first offence, he grabbed a woman’s breast. In the second, he falsely claimed he needed to check her breast for lumps, despite that not being the purpose of the assessment. Both women were left feeling violated by the examinations and reported them to the police, Durham Constabulary said. Iqbal was jailed for 18 months at Newcastle Crown Court on Friday and was placed on the sex offender register for 10 years, the force added. He had denied the offences but was convicted following a trial. Outside court, Detective Constable Charlotte Naisby, of Durham Constabulary’s Complex Safeguarding Team praised the women for coming forward and encouraged any others who think they might have been assaulted to do the same. She said: “Iqbal preyed on these women during a very vulnerable period in their lives and his behaviour was despicable. “The women should have felt safe being examined by a certified GP but instead Iqbal not only assaulted them but breached their trust in the most horrendous way and we are glad to see he is now behind bars. “We hope these women can now begin to rebuild their lives and I’d like to praise their bravery and courage in reporting the offences and helping us to bring Iqbal to justice.” Sergeant Kimberley Ball, of Northumbria Police, said: “As a force, we just simply won’t tolerate this type of offending and, alongside our partners, we’ll work tirelessly to bring offenders such as Iqbal to justice. “Iqbal was in a position of trust over these two women, and to choose a time when they were seeking medical assistance to do what he has done to them is something which is truly deplorable. “I hope both victim-survivors can now move forward with their lives, and I am grateful to their courage to come forward and make a report. I am confident they have made the North East safer now that this man’s crimes have been brought to light.”