Lanarkshire doctor accused of sex offences 'has regret'

A doctor accused of a string of sex offences against his patients claimed he has "regret" for some of his actions.

Krishna Singh, 72, is on trial facing 66 sexually-related charges against more than 50 women.

He told the High Court in Glasgow he sometimes did not get consent before examinations and often carried them out without a chaperone present.

Dr Singh, of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, denies the offences.

They are alleged to have taken place between 1983 and 2018, mainly at medical practices in North Lanarkshire.

The doctor told jurors that he would ask patients about their sexual activity before prescribing the contraceptive pill, often using what he described as "local language".

Janice Green, defending, asked: "Taking consent from a patient and you are going to examine for one reason or another, what does consent mean to you?"

He replied: "When I joined the practice, I did not get consent for doing the examination, but when I look back I realise on reflection that I should have taken more consent and been more careful."

The father-of-three added that he did not document whether or not he took consent from a patient.

He further claimed to have lifted up patients' dresses when he was "in a rush" or was "under pressure" before an examination.

"I realise this might have made the patient uncomfortable and I have regret," he added.

The doctor earlier told the court that his wife became his Coatbridge surgery's practice manager in 2009 after the previous person left.

One of the roles was to handle patient complaints.

He said these included "not getting appointments, not seeing the patients, not getting any house visits".

The trial continues before judge Lord Armstrong.