Blackpool, Lancashire, UK: Amal Bose, a 55-year-old heart surgeon of Indian origin, has been sentenced to six years in prison in the United Kingdom for sexually assaulting female staff members while working at Blackpool Hospital in Lancashire. When arrested, Bose tried to dismiss his actions by telling police officers that “it was only flirting.”

The misconduct occurred between 2017 and 2022, during his tenure as head of the hospital’s cardiovascular surgery department. One staff member testified that Bose’s inappropriate conduct was an open secret, and new employees were often warned in advance about how to handle his behavior. Reports revealed that he frequently made remarks about women’s looks and even referred to them as “fresh meat” in a WhatsApp group.

In one incident, a victim recalled that Bose groped her while she was scrubbing up before a surgery. On another occasion, shortly after she joined the team, he rested his head on her shoulder. Another woman said she was assaulted inside the operating theatre when Bose, after putting on his surgical gloves, deliberately grabbed her breast. A separate victim told the court that he reached into her top pocket for a pen and inappropriately touched her chest. Several women said he routinely harassed them, leaving them distressed and forcing some to alter their working hours to avoid him.

Defending Bose, barrister Tom Price KC acknowledged that his client’s victims had to endure the trauma of a trial. He said Bose only fully came to terms with the pain he caused after hearing the women’s testimonies in court. Despite being recognized as a highly skilled heart surgeon, Bose lost his position following the allegations and is now employed as a parcel delivery driver.

Judge Unsworth, while acknowledging Bose’s professional reputation and surgical expertise, said those very qualities made his crimes “all the more tragic.”