A doctor has been cleared of sexually assaulting five female patients he had been accused of attacking over a 10-day period.
Dr Amirul Haque, aged 33, was found not guilty of five separate charges by a jury after an 11-day trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
Haque, of Ladypool Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, denied committing five counts of assault while training in general practice at a surgery in the Dudley area of the West Midlands.
Jurors deliberated for almost eight hours before acquitting Haque, who denied any wrongdoing and said he acted appropriately during consultations with the patients.
The trainee GP told the court he had checked one of the women using a stethoscope for potential heart problems but denied using the instrument in a sexual assault.
After the not guilty verdicts were returned, Judge Amjad Nawaz thanked the jury panel for performing an “invaluable” public service, and granted an application for Haque’s legal costs to be met from public funds rather than through his medical defence organisation.
In a written statement issued shortly after his acquittal, Dr Haque said: “I am relieved by the verdict, and thankful to my family and friends for their continued support.
“I look forward to rebuilding my life and the opportunity of returning to practice in the future.”
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