Romford GP Manish Shah Gets Life for Sexual Assaults Against Women

A former family doctor has received two additional life sentences after being found guilty of sexually abusing four women during unnecessary examinations. Manish Shah was convicted last month of 25 sexual assaults at his GP clinic in Romford, east London.Shah, aged 53, was already serving three life sentences for a total of 90 previous offences. During the sentencing at the Old Bailey on Monday, the court imposed the further jail terms, which will run concurrently with his earlier sentences. He is now convicted of carrying out 115 sexual assault and assault by penetration offences against 28 women, aged between 15 and 34.The court heard that Shah exploited patients' fear of cancer to persuade women into unnecessary intimate examinations, using high-profile celebrity cases to justify these invasive procedures over a period of four years starting from 2009.He was described as a well-regarded GP partner whose appointments at Mawney Road surgery were often fully booked. However, it was revealed that he used these appointments to manipulate and sexually abuse his patients, including his two youngest victims, aged 15 and 17 when the abuse began.The court presented victim impact statements, with one victim recalling Shah's words, where he told her she was his 'favourite' and 'would do well in modelling,' while simultaneously warning her about potential cancer. The abuse had a lasting impact, with her describing how the experience haunted her for 12 years, affecting her growth and confidence. She also stated she was forced to move away for her safety as a witness after being verbally abused and intimidated.Another woman, who was abused at age 34, expressed that Shah’s failure to admit his actions worsened her trauma. She said, 'He just put me through more and more trauma. He preyed on the vulnerable. I want to move on with my life, have a good life, not the life I currently live.'Judge Peter Rook described Shah as a danger to women, emphasizing that his conduct caused long-term psychological harm. The judge sentenced Shah to two life terms with a minimum of 10 years, to run concurrently with his previous sentences. Additional jail terms for other offences were also ordered to run concurrently.