Rape charge doctor faces being struck off over party sex claims
A DOCTOR faces being struck off amid allegations of sexual assault on a woman at a house party while her friend lay in the same bed.
Oxford-educated Dr Robert Lawton was charged with rape three years after the alleged incident, but the case was dropped.
Yesterday he appeared before a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester where he denies sexual conduct without consent.
The tribunal heard the 36-yearold had been invited to the party by a friend of the alleged victim in Dundee shortly after moving to the area from England to take up a post in trauma and orthopaedic surgery at Ninewells Hospital in the city.
It is claimed later that night he had sex with the woman against her will while her friend slept next to them.
Opening the case on behalf of the General Medical Council, David Toal said: ‘That night when Miss A got to the party she described the atmosphere as good.
‘At one stage she was speaking to her friend, who told her she had invited a male to the party who worked at the local hospital. This male was Dr Lawton. In fact, earlier that day, she had been in a local pub with friends watching the Six Nations rugby and Dr Lawton was in that pub. They had begun talking and he mentioned to her he was new to Dundee and did not really know anyone, so she invited him to the party.
‘The first Miss A saw of Dr Lawton at the party was when she says she noticed a male in the living room with his top off. It seems almost from the outset she did not warm to Dr Lawton.
‘It seems this wasn’t necessarily the view shared by everyone as, from the evidence, there is a suggestion that a number of women at the party were attracted to him and he enjoyed that attention and was quite happy to flirt back with them, particularly as he became under the influence of alcohol.’
Miss A accepted she was drunk and does not recall a great deal from the night, before falling asleep on the bed, the tribunal was told.
Mr Toal added: ‘Miss A says she saw Dr Lawton in bed on the other side of her friend from her and noticed he was looking at her. The next thing she knew, Dr Lawton was behind her, pulling down her lower clothing.
‘She was telling him she didn’t want to do what he was doing and began crying. She was also trying to wake her friend up, but unfortunately she remained asleep.
‘Dr Lawton ignored Miss A’s protestations and simply continued having intercourse with her. The case for the GMC is it must have been perfectly clear to him that Miss A was not consenting.
‘Eventually he got off Miss A and this allowed her to jump up and grab a dressing gown. She then ran out and was crying.’ When a friend went to the room, he was standing with clothing on the top half of his body but no trousers on, it is alleged.
It was claimed the following day Dr Lawton sent text messages to the friend of Miss A, saying: ‘Last night basically think I was in the wrong and owe her an apology.’
Dr Lawton, of Dundee, denies all of the allegations.
After recounting her story to friends on the night of the incident and in subsequent months, Miss A was asked if she wanted to report the matter to the police, but a formal criminal complaint was not made until around eight months after the alleged incident.
A criminal investigation began in January 2012 with Dr Lawton answering ‘no comment’ during a police interview and initially refusing to provide the pass code to his mobile phone, it was said.
He was subsequently charged with rape almost two years after the incident, forcing him to refer himself to the General Medical Council.
But when the matter was referred to the Procurator Fiscal it was decided that the allegation would not be taken forward.
Dr Lawton denies engaging in sexual conduct with Miss A without her consent and against her will and that his alleged behaviour was sexually motivated.
The hearing continues.
‘She ran out of the room, crying’