A former GP is facing jail after being found guilty of molesting nine male patients by carrying out unjustified genital examinations.
Gregory Manson was warned by Judge Simon Taylor KC as he adjourned sentencing overnight that he would be going to prison for his abusive conduct while working at Cossington House surgery in Canterbury.
His deviant behaviour spanned almost two decades and involved him unnecessarily touching groins, testicles and penises while unchaperoned, without offering an explanation and when not wearing gloves.
Jurors were also told he failed to document in patients’ records the fact that such intimate examinations had taken place or what the findings were.
Some of the patients, including teenage boys, were attending his surgery for ailments such as knee sprain, back pain, coughs or colds at the time.
Others had concerns including a rash, indigestion, fatigue and depression.
While some later described Manson as being “friendly and thorough”, one was left feeling the doctor was “weird, outdated and old-fashioned” in his approach and another “embarrassed and violated”.
Canterbury Crown Court heard the first accusation was made in 2017, leading to an investigation involving the General Medical Council (GMC), NHS England and police which resulted in other patients coming forward with similar alleged experiences.
As well as his general practice work in the city since 1999, the now 56-year-old South African-trained medic also had roles at the time as a GP trainer and programme director of GP training, as well as a GP appraiser for the GMC.
Manson, of Tower Way, Canterbury, denied 18 offences of sexual assault and six of indecent assault between October 1998 and March 2017.
Today (July 3) the disgraced doctor was found guilty by majority verdicts of 12 sexual assaults and four indecent assaults.
He was cleared of six offences – one on the direction of Judge Taylor – while the remaining two were alternative charges.
Manson was released on conditional bail ahead of his sentencing tomorrow, but was told by the judge: “It will be a prison sentence so you must prepare for one.”
During his three-week trial the former GP told the court of his “shock and devastation” on learning of the complaints made against him.
He maintained that any genital examinations he performed were not sexually motivated but in-keeping with his “clinical judgement” in helping to diagnose a condition.
Describing his approach as “thorough, comprehensive and cautious”, he also denied that his “limited” medical notes were a deliberate attempt to hide any wrongdoing and blamed not only pressure of time but his want to focus “on the human being, not the computer”.
However, the victims spoke when giving evidence of the “shock, bewilderment and confusion” they felt after being examined so intimately and often without explanation.
The jury heard how the doctor was said to have pulled down underwear without permission, gave one patient an instruction to lift his hips and buttocks by placing his hands on his waist as he lay on the couch and making a “tap tap” signal.
Another recalled having stripped naked at the GP’s request prior to examination.
But Manson refuted the claims, telling the court that although he could not recall all of those making allegations against him or all of the appointments, his “standard practice” was to say he would be or might be carrying out such an examination and seek their consent.
He also disputed that he would have asked a male patient to take off all their clothes, had ever “tapped” anyone to lift their hips, or checked knee reflexes with the patient sitting on the edge of the couch with their pants lowered.
But when asked by prosecutor Jennifer Knight KC to explain how the complainants had ended up “seriously distressed” as a result of their examinations, he accepted his communication skills may have been lacking and that “somehow things just maybe got lost in translation”.
He also stressed that genital examinations, which could include foreskin retraction, were “not comfortable for anyone” and that he “could not imagine someone finding it easy”.
Following his arrest, the GP accepted his notes were “inadequate” but at trial denied it was a deliberate attempt to cover up his wrongdoing and explained such brevity was “reflective of his practice full stop” and not just specific to those he had been accused of molesting.
He also told the court he was “strapped for time” when it came to recording such examinations when no abnormality was detected.
“Not even an hour would be enough to write that all down,” Manson said. “You have only 10 minutes and because I prioritised the person and did not want to miss things, my notes suffered as a consequence.”
The court heard Manson has not worked since a GMC interim suspension order was imposed in 2017.
At the start of his trial last month, Ms Knight had told the jury the issue to decide was whether the examinations – some of which were carried out as part of ‘new patient health checks’ – were medically justified or sexually motivated.
In outlining the case against the GP, she added: “This is not a case where the prosecution suggests that every genital examination was without justification.
“The prosecution case is that in taking his explanations into account, there were many examinations that were carried out that were in truth entirely unnecessary and his real motivation was a sexual one.
“He took frequent opportunities to examine patients’ genitals not because he needed to medically but because he wanted to.”
But defence lawyer Mark Harries KC argued Manson had “discharged his responsibilities in a genuine, professional and comprehensive” way.
“Dr Manson’s position, his clear position, is that when a genital examination of some kind took place, it was always medically and clinically justified,” Mr Harries explained.
“He says a sexual purpose never entered his head….He was medically motivated not sexually motivated.”
