A family general practitioner, Sanjay Chatterjee, who retained his position despite being listed on the Sex Offender Register for inappropriately touching a receptionist, has been dismissed after causing a female patient to weep due to a ‘inappropriate’ medical examination.
Dr. Sanjay Chatterjee, 60, had previously been acquitted in court and received a nine-month work ban after he twice groped a receptionist and subsequently attempted to kiss her during three distinct incidents.
He was reported to the police and the General Medical Council once more when he inserted a medical instrument into a woman’s vagina without her consent during an examination for suspected haemorrhoids.
She was rendered speechless and wept as she informed her family about the session, subsequently contacting the police to report a sexual assault.
Investigations disclosed that married father-of-two Sanjay Chatterjee had disregarded police-imposed limits on his travels mandated by the Sex Offender Register by routinely travelling abroad with a new passport.
At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, Sanjay Chatterjee, a resident of Larkfield near Aylesford, Kent, was mandated to have his name removed from the medical register following a finding of significant professional misconduct.
A panel stated that his assessment of the patient was ‘inappropriate and not clinically warranted’, nevertheless exonerated him of sexually motivated behaviour.
No legal action was initiated against him over the examination.
In 2010, Sanjay Chatterjee was reported to the police and charged with sexual assault following reports from a clinic receptionist in Medway and another lady.
The receptionist reported that as she was seated at the reception desk, leaning forward towards her computer during her Saturday shift at the out-of-hours care clinic, Sanjay Chatterjee placed his hand on her right buttock.
Initially, the receptionist was reluctant to file a complaint; nevertheless, while searching for a diclofenac injection in a dispensary, Sanjay Chatterjee reportedly stood ‘uncomfortably close behind her’.
Upon turning to solicit assistance, she discovered him around 12 inches from her face.
He began discussing her jewellery and seized her shoulders in an effort to kiss her.
She evaded capture by employing a ‘trained conflict resolution manoeuvre’ including the elevation of her arms.
In 2011, Sanjay Chatterjee was convicted at Maidstone Crown Court for sexually abusing the receptionist, receiving a sentence of 250 hours of unpaid labour, a £1,000 cost order, and a five-year registration on the Sex Offender Register.
He was exonerated of seven sexual charges pertaining to the second woman after asserting that they were engaged in an affair.
At that time, Sanjay Chatterjee’s devoted wife Sumona, an NHS manager, misinformed their local newspaper: ‘He has been portrayed as a depraved and twisted individual, but he is not.’ He committed a singular foolish error, and that is it.
Sanjay Chatterjee stated, ‘I deceived my wife and family, and I feel considerable shame about that – nonetheless, what has occurred cannot be reversed.’
Upon learning of my infidelity, she became enraged, resulting in a tumultuous situation. The entire house was engulfed in darkness, leaving everyone in a state of panic.
Sanjay Chatterjee was provisionally prohibited from patient care in July 2014, notwithstanding the GMC’s recommendation for his removal from the register.
By March 2015, he was permitted to work under supervision and ultimately resumed unfettered practice.
He returned to court after being apprehended for travelling to Kolkata, India, and Portugal in 2016, since he was required to obtain authorisation from the authorities for international travel and to inform them of any alterations to his passport.
Investigations disclosed that the journeys were reserved utilising a new passport, resulting in a sentence of 84 days in prison, suspended for one year, along with a need to complete 200 hours of community service.
He was additionally mandated to pay £200 in charges for noncompliance with notice requirements.
The most recent occurrence transpired at the Aylesford Medical Centre in May 2021, involving a female patient referred to as Ms A, who was admitted for ulcerative colitis and rectal haemorrhaging.
She stated that Dr. Sanjay Chatterjee instructed her to lie on the examination couch before he retrieved a speculum and applied lubrication gel to it.
Ms. A recalled the examination, stating: ‘He did not elaborate on any of his intended actions – he simply proceeded with them.’ I became rather tense due to little discomfort.
He placed it inside, surveyed the area, and remarked: ‘I cannot discern anything within; perhaps they are located further up.’
I believed that was the conclusion, yet in the following moment, he inserted it directly into my vagina without any forewarning, clarification, or context.
I was utterly astonished and was at a loss for how to respond. He failed to elucidate it to me.
A student nurse who observed the examination stated: ‘I recall that Dr. Sanjay Chatterjee’s communication was quite inadequate.’
He did not initiate an introduction with her at the commencement of the session; he failed to greet her, enquire about her well-being, encourage her to sit, or elucidate the proceedings of the interview. He simply stated: ‘Alright, disrobe.’
An investigator subsequently stated: ‘I find no need for a vaginal examination, as the presenting symptoms were gastrointestinal and appeared unrelated to her vagina.’
Regarding the GMC, Ms. Jade Bucklow stated: ‘Patient A was left disoriented and feeling violated.’ She reached out to friends and relatives in a condition of despair and subsequently provided testimony to the police to determine if she had been sexually assaulted.
‘This situation stemmed from Dr. Sanjay Chatterjee’s inability to secure informed consent for intimate examinations and the execution of an improper and clinically unjustified vaginal examination.’
Sanjay Chatterjee did not attend the hearing; nonetheless, he stated that he has no intention of resuming medical practice.
He stated, ‘I acknowledge that I performed the rectal examination on the patient.’ A chaperone was in attendance. If there was any touch with the patient’s vagina, it was inadvertent.
His counsel, Martin Forde KC, stated: ‘The doctor continued his career without any grievances, except for the solitary patient in this matter.’
No sexually driven activity was repeated from 2011 until 2024, a duration of 13 years.
The established charges pertain to a single patient and one consultation. The Panel has determined that communication may have been improved; nevertheless, this deficiency is readily rectifiable.
However, MPTS chairman Mr. Graham White stated: ‘Dr. Sanjay Chatterjee’s inability to secure Patient A’s informed permission resulted in emotional injury, leaving her in a state of shock and anxiety, and feeling as though she had been violated.’
Patient A’s daughter and friend characterised her as distressed and tearful while recounting her experiences.
Dr. Sanjay Chatterjee’s prior suspension of registration due to a 2011 conviction for sexual assault against a coworker was a considerable aggravating circumstance.
There was no indication that Dr. Sanjay Chatterjee comprehended the magnitude or severity of his misbehaviour and convictions, nor was there any evidence of his attempts to rectify or mitigate them.
There were no indications of remorse or contrition.
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