'Despicable' doctor jailed after sexually assaulting women who'd been in traffic accidents
Muhammad Iqbal "preyed" on women who were attending physiotherapy sessions following road traffic accidents.
A GP who sexually assaulted two women during examinations after they had been in road traffic collisions has been jailed, police have said.
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Muhammad Iqbal, 64, of Julianstown, County Meath, Ireland, was charged in relation to separate incidents in Darlington and Sunderland in 2023.
His victims were attending physiotherapy sessions arranged by their insurers following road accidents and were seen by Iqbal.
In the first incident he grabbed the woman’s breast, while in the second he pretended he needed to examine her breast, saying he was checking for lumps, although that was not the reason for the examination.
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.
He had denied the offences but was convicted following a trial, the force said.
'Very vulnerable period in their lives'
Outside court, Detective Constable Charlotte Naisby, of Durham Constabulary’s Complex Safeguarding Team, 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.”
Sergeant Kimberley Ball, of Northumbria Police, praised the women for speaking out, saying: “I am confident they have made the North East safer now that this man’s crimes have been brought to light.”