Dr Krishna Singh, a 72-year-old general practitioner from North Lanarkshire, Scotland, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison following his conviction on 54 counts of sexual offences committed against 47 female patients spanning from 1983 to 2018. Operating out of Coatbridge Health Centre, Singh exploited his professional role to conduct unnecessary and inappropriate physical examinations, often without a chaperone, targeting vulnerable women and girls in various medical settings. His victims included pregnant women, teenage children, and even a rape victim he examined as a police casualty surgeon.
The High Court in Glasgow heard harrowing accounts from survivors during Singh's trial last month. One victim, a 50-year-old hospital worker who reported being raped, described how Singh molested her during an examination at a Motherwell police station in March 2008. She recounted his inappropriate questions, such as whether she had been wearing a skirt, if the sex was consensual, and comments like 'so, you are not a good time girl', while probing her personal details insensitively. Another woman, abused as a teenager during a check-up for a sore throat, recalled Singh 'pressing and prodding' around her pant line, behaviour that became a 'running joke' among her friends. She stated, 'If that was my daughter, I would be sitting in the dock on a murder charge. No professional should act like that.'
Singh's predatory conduct extended to groping pregnant patients and making sleazy comments, leading many women to bring friends or relatives to appointments out of discomfort. A man testified that he threatened to assault Singh after catching him groping his pregnant wife in the mid-1990s. A woman in her late 30s, targeted at age 15, shared with BBC Scotland how Singh repeatedly instructed her to remove her trousers and pants for examinations unrelated to her complaints, such as stomach issues or cellulitis on her heels. She described the lasting trauma: 'It does not go away. If I wake up in the middle of the night, it is his face I see coming towards me.'
Prosecutor Angela Gray characterised Singh's actions as a routine of sexual offending integrated into his working life, stating, 'Sexual offending was part of his working life. Access to women as and when the situation arose and taking the chances when he could.' The judge, Lord Armstrong, condemned the 'calculated and manipulative' nature of the serial offending, noting Singh's abuse of trust undermined the medical profession. He remarked, 'Society is abhorrent to such conduct and the court must reflect that... people who commit these crimes in the way you did know they will be brought to justice.' Singh showed no regret, having denied the charges throughout.
The investigation began in 2018 after one woman reported Singh, prompting a letter to all patients at his practice. Police Scotland confirmed four additional complaints post-conviction, describing them as 'the tip of the iceberg'. Detective Inspector Stephen Morris called Singh's behaviour 'appalling and predatory', praising the victims' courage: 'The victims have shown great courage in coming forward with vital information, making sure he was held accountable for his actions, and ultimately convicted.' Singh, who received an MBE in 2013, was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and faces interim suspension from the General Medical Council pending further investigation. Calls have mounted for a public inquiry into how authorities failed to intervene sooner, with solicitor Laura Connor asserting, 'Questions must now be asked about how this sexual predator hid in plain sight for so long while carrying out his crimes.'