GP jailed for using Jade Goody death to carry out sex attacks gets 2 life terms
A former GP who was jailed for using Jade Goody deaths to carry out sex attacks gets two more life terms handed, a court has heard today.
The doctor committed 115 sexual offences against 28 women and girls as young as 15 has been branded as "sick and twisted" as he was handed the sentences.
The judge went on to sentence the doctor for "sexually assaulting four of his patients, in a gross and devastating breach".
The Old Bailey heard that Manish Shah, 53, abused his trusted position as a medical practitioner when he persuaded female patients to undergo unnecessary intimate examinations for his sexual gratification.
The attacks spanned over four years, from 2009.
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The court went on to hear how he flattered and groomed the vulnerable victims, and even used the cases of celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Jade Goody to instill fear so they would agree to the invasive exams.
He then went on to falsify the records to cover up the sick acts.
Shah, who had been a well regarded GP partner at Mawney Road medical practice in Romford, east London, has since been suspended, and was later struck off following the revelations.
In February 2020, Shah was handed three life sentences with a minimum term of 15 years in prison for 90 offences against 24 women after two separate trials.
Meanwhile, a third trial ended last month which saw 25 more convictions for sexual offences against four more women and girls.
On Monday 9 January, Judge Peter Rook handed Shah two life sentences - with a minimum term of 10 years to run concurrently with the earlier sentences.
The life sentences related to offences against two youngest victims who were aged 15 and 17 when Shah began to abuse them.
In sentencing Shah, Judge Rook said that the GP remained a "danger to women" as he highlighted the "scale and nature" of his crimes.
The court heard how the former GP caused "long term psychological damage" to his victims (PA)He added that his life sentences now not only reflect the gravity of his actions, but also the "public abhorrence" that followed once they came to light, adding: "You selected young and vulnerable women, gained their trust and preyed on their fears."
Judge Rook went on to add that the consequence of Shah's behaviour had been to divert resources away from the NHS and damaged the reputation of the surgery where he had worked.
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Shah went on to cause "long term psychological damage" to his victims, the judge added.
He added: "There can be no doubt your actions have undermined trust in general practitioners."
In prosecuting, Riel Karmy-Jones KC said: "All 25 offences were part of a campaign of offending involving now 115 sexual offences against 28 victims.
"It was carefully planned. There was a mixture of flattery and fear in women. He selected vulnerable women. He gained their trust by saying he cared about them, he claimed he had special skills."
The first victim, who was in her early 20s, went on to describe the devastating effect the GPs actions had on her, after police knocked on her door eight years ago.
In a victim impact statement, she said: "This triggered something in my life. I stopped being the social outgoing person overnight. I started getting panic attacks."
One victim said that before the abuse, she was a 'confident young girl' who was 'naive but innocent' and now felt 'violated and insecure' (PA)It was also heard how Shah told the another victim, who was aged just 15, that she was a "star" and his "favourite" and "would do well in modelling" - while warning her she might get cancer as part of his grooming campaign.
In her statement read to the court, she said: "For me personally the journey bringing Mr Shah to justice has been extremely difficult and life changing. I was only 15.
"Your actions, Mr Shah, have haunted me for 12 years, affecting very important years of my growth from youth to womanhood."
She added that in 2018 she was forced to move away from the Romford area for her own protection after being "verbally abused", "downgraded" and intimidated by people who could not believe what happened.
The victim went on to call on Shah to acknowledge the "mind blowing" damage he caused by his "sick and twisted" behaviour.
The third victim, who was abused aged 34, said Shah's failure to admit what he had done had made things worse, saying: "He just put me through more and more trauma. He preyed on the vulnerable.
"I want to move on with my life, have a good life, not the life I currently live."
The fourth victim was aged between 17 and 18 when Shah sexually assaulted her almost every time she attended appointments, saying that the abuse by the GP has left her no longer trusting any man.
The doctor used cases of celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Jade Goody to instill fear on his patients (PA)Earlier in mitigation, Amanda Hamilton said: "He has gone from a position many would envy to a position lower than most of us can imagine.
"He can see no end to his sentence. He does not know what is going to happen when he comes before the parole board."
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Rook noted Shah was married and still had the support of his family, adding that he had been a "model prisoner" since being jailed.
Paul Goddard, senior crown prosecutor with the CPS, said: "Manish Shah has today been sentenced for sexually assaulting four of his patients, in a gross and devastating breach of his profession and of the trust placed in him.
"The defendant told these women and girls lies about his experience and also about the state of their health, lies designed to convince them that repeated intimate examinations were necessary, and to conceal his true motives in carrying them out.
"These convictions, and the sentences passed, are testament to the strength and courage of the women who gave evidence against the defendant. It is thanks to their bravery and their determination that justice has now been done."
The judge imposed further determinate jail terms for the remaining counts which will also run concurrent to the life sentences.
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