'Described female staff as...': Indian-origin heart surgeon Amal Bose jailed in UK for assaulting colleagues, told police 'it was only flirting'

An Indian-origin heart surgeon, Amal Bose , 55, has been sentenced to six years in jail in the UK for abusing his position to sexually assault female colleagues at Blackpool Hospital in Lancaster. But Bose told the police when they arrested him that "it was only flirting".

The incidents took place between 2017 and 2022. when he had headed the hospital's cardiovascular surgery department. One woman told the court that Bose's behavior was a well-known fact and newcomers used to be advised on how to deal with him.

Bose regularly commented on women's appearances and called them 'fresh meat' on a WhatsApp group.

One of Bose's victims told the court she was groped by the surgeon as she scrubbed up ahead of surgery. On another occasion, shortly after she joined the department, Bose rested his head on her shoulder. Another victim was groped in an operating theatre as she helped the consultant prepare for an operation. After putting his gloves on, Bose 'purposefully' grabbed her breast, the court heard.

One woman said Bose groped her breast as he helped himself to a pen from her top pocket.

One said she was touched inappropriately every time she saw him and that used to leave her frightened and anxious, forcing her to change her working time to avoid him.

Defending Bose, Tom Price KC said he realised that Bose had put his victims through the ordeal of a trial but that his client had only fully realised their true hurt in court. The court was informed that Bose was a highly skilled surgeon but lost his job in the wake of the complaints and was now working as a parcel deliveryman.

Judge Unsworth acknowledged that Bose was a highly skilled surgeon who had been held in high regard by his colleagues. But he said this simply served to make his offending "all the more tragic".