A Nigerian healthcare assistant, Adewale Kudabo, has been sentenced to one year in prison for sexually assaulting a patient at York Hospital in the United Kingdom.
The 47-year-old, who was employed by the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, admitted to two counts of sexual assault during a hearing in April.
During the sentencing on June 10, 2025, Judge Alex Menary emphasized that Kudabo had severely “abused the trust” granted to him in his role as a medical professional.
Despite expressing remorse, the court found his actions to be grave ethical violation that required immediate custodial punishment.
Kudabo is expected to serve at least half of his sentence before becoming eligible for release.
Prosecutor Henry Fernandez told the court that Kudabo was responsible for assisting patients in significant pain, including helping them bathe.
Although the assault did not occur during the bathing process, Fernandez explained that Kudabo kissed the patient on the lips afterward, despite her visible discomfort and limited mobility.
According to Fernandez, the patient, though in considerable pain, managed to pull away slightly but could not prevent the unwanted kiss. She was left shaken and confused by the encounter.
A few days later, Kudabo allegedly tried to repeat the behavior, asking the patient if she wanted another bed bath and attempting to kiss her again.
Despite trying to escape, the patient was kissed a second time. She later reported both incidents to the police.
The court was told the assaults had lasting psychological impact on the victim, who has since struggled with anxiety and recurring flashbacks.
Kudabo, who had relocated from Nigeria to the UK for employment, reportedly showed remorse for his actions.
His lawyer, Jerry Sodipe, argued that his client had no prior convictions and claimed Kudabo acted out of misguided sympathy for the patient’s suffering.
Nonetheless, Sodipe acknowledged that his client’s behavior was inappropriate and unacceptable.
Kudabo, a resident of Count De Burg Terrace in Southbank, York, entered a guilty plea on the first day of his trial in April.
In response to the case, a spokesperson for the NHS Foundation Trust at York and Scarborough said:
“Patients should always feel safe and respected while receiving care. We deeply regret that this was not upheld in this instance. The individual involved left our employment shortly after the incident, and we took swift action to address the matter.”
