Krishna Singh was arrested and charged in April 2018. (Representational)
An Indian-origin doctor based in Scotland was on Wednesday sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment after he was found guilty of sex offences against 47 female patients over 35 years.
Krishna Singh, a 72-year-old general practitioner (GP) from North Lanarkshire, was accused of kissing, groping, giving inappropriate examinations and making sleazy comments, charges that he had denied during his trial last month at the High Court in Glasgow.
"You undermined the standing of the medical profession and eroded the trust of the female patients," Judge Lord Armstrong told Singh during a sentencing hearing.
The GP had insisted the patients were wrong and that some of the examinations were what he had been taught during medical training in India. But he went on to be found guilty of numerous sexual offences, which took place between 1983 and 2018.
"Krishna Singh is now facing the consequences of his appalling and predatory behaviour," said Detective Inspector Stephen Morris, of the Specialist Crime Division at Police Scotland.
"Singh was a doctor, and in a position of trust, at the time he carried out this sexual abuse. The victims have shown great courage in coming forward with vital information, making sure he was held accountable for his actions, and ultimately convicted," said Morris.
"I hope this sentence provides a sense of closure for them and sends a clear message that all reports of sexual abuse, regardless of the passage of time, will be thoroughly investigated by Police Scotland and victims will be supported throughout," he said.
Detectives from Police Scotland began an investigation into Singh after a woman came forward in 2018 to report him. He was subsequently arrested and charged in April 2018.
Singh was seen as a respected member of the community, even awarded the royal MBE honour for his contribution to medical services. The doctor went on to be convicted of 54 charges against the victims, the crimes mainly consisting of multiple sexual and indecent assault.
He was found not proven on nine other charges and not guilty on a further two.
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