Hospital ward boss struck off for groping female colleague

AFORMER hospital ward manager has been struck off for groping a medical worker. Stephen Dwyer, 53, repeatedly made “inappropriate and suggestive comments” to the woman before allegedly sexually assaulting her.

Dwyer also lifted her shirt collar to make remarks about her “tan lines” and stood close behind her to tell her: “You smell nice.”

She told how Dwyer, who worked at Llandough Hospital in the Vale of Glamorgan, sexually assaulted her.

She said: “He came in and came up behind me and put his hand down my uniform, into my bra and felt my left breast.

“He said, ‘let me feel your nipples’. I then grabbed his hand and removed it forcibly from my top and turned around.

“Stephen was tugging on his trouser bottoms, as if to pull them down. I left the room immediately. I was shaking. I didn’t tell anyone at that point.”

The woman said Dwyer sat on her lap and “bounced up and down” while stroking her leg before she pushed him off.

She also said he regularly stroked her backside and arm.

The woman told the misconduct hearing that she didn’t report Dwyer – whose ward received “centre of excellence” status under his management in 2009 – for fear of losing her job.

She told the hearing: “The comments made me feel disgusting and really uncomfortable. I was afraid to say anything at this point because he would say to me that if I said anything no-one will believe me. He would tell me not to tell anyone and no-one will believe my word over his.”

But she eventually confided in a colleague and the allegations were reported to police.

The hearing was told Dwyer claimed he enjoyed pleasuring himself in the toilets of his psychiatric intensive care unit.

He told her: “Do you know why I spend so much time in the toilets? It’s because I jerk off when I think of you.”

Dwyer went on trial at Cardiff Crown Court charged with sexual assault but was cleared by a jury.

He denied touching the woman or making sexual comments to her, but told police: “I appreciate that I may have made some flippant off-themark comments about her perfume or her suntan.”

Dwyer was sacked from Llandough Hospital and bosses at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board referred the matter to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Dwyer failed to turn up to the misconduct hearing, where a panel found all six allegations of misconduct had been proved.

Panel chair Matthew Fiander said Dwyer’s behaviour caused “distress” to the woman and said he had shown “no remorse”.

He said: “The allegations are of a serious nature. Dwyer clearly violated sexual boundaries, for which there is no excuse. Further, his actions demonstrate concerning behaviour which there is a very real risk would be repeated.”

Dwyer, from Barry, was struck off, banning him from working as a registered nurse in the UK.

A spokeswoman for the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “Allegations of misconduct were brought to our attention which was fully investigated and concluded by the health board and subsequently referred to the NMC.”