Physio jailed for sexual assaults during sessions

Purnoor Bawa was jailed for six years

A physiotherapist has been jailed for sexually assaulting seven women during their treatment sessions.

Purnoor Bawa, 43, of Gravesend, Kent, touched the women inappropriately between 2013 and 2018, Kent Police said.

Bawa was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court and sentenced to six years in prison on Friday.

"He continued to offend even after concerns had been raised about his conduct," a police spokesperson said.

"On each occasion he persuaded his victims to remove their clothing so he could touch areas of their bodies that did not require treatment, insisting it was common practice and part of their recovery," the spokesperson added.

'Belongs behind bars'

Officers were called to Bawa's place of work in Gravesend in December 2018 after reports he had carried out an "inappropriate" massage on a woman during treatment for an ankle injury.

His conduct was already being monitored by the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service and he was not supposed to have been working without a chaperone, police said.

The tribunal service later banned him from practicing.

Det Con Peter Hylands said: "Purnoor Bawa manipulated and groomed his victims, making them think his actions were justified when in reality he was taking advantage of them for his own depraved ends.

"Each offence was committed in the privacy of Bawa’s treatment room where there were no independent witnesses, CCTV cameras or any other forms of evidence.

"He has shown that not only is he unfit to practice as a physiotherapist but he is also a danger to women and belongs behind bars."