Prison warning for sex attack GP

A GP who sexually molested patients over a 17 year period has been convicted of a further four assaults.
Dr Roy Murray, 62, was found guilty by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday of 19 counts of indecent assault at his Merseyside surgery.

On Monday, he was convicted of four more offences, and was told he faces a "substantial" jail term.

Murray, of Bromborough, Wirral, was remanded on bail and will be sentenced on 17 September.

Intimate examinations

During the nine week trial the court heard Murray subjected women to indecent examinations between 1981 and 1998, at the surgery in St Helens.

The court heard the "arrogant" GP's intimate examinations could last up to 40 minutes.

Patients said the examinations were painful and embarrassing - and although some were only suffering from earache or a cough they were told to undress and undergo an internal examination.

Others claimed Murray patted them on the bottom and made remarks about their figures.

One victim told how most of her visits to the surgery involved having an internal examination, regardless of her reason for the appointment.

Week-long evidence

The court heard that on a home visit to the woman while she was bedridden, he said to her: "The best thing you can do is move over and let me get in with you."

Murray insisted the examinations were necessary because the women were using the contraceptive pill or coil, but this explanation was not always recorded in their medical notes.

Murray, who has no previous convictions, denied the offences.

He spent a week in the witness box giving evidence and called almost two dozen patients as character witnesses.

He was cleared of two indecent assault counts and the jury failed to reach verdicts on five more. Earlier in the trial he was found not guilty of seven indecent assault charges on the judge's directions.