Nurse banned for putting hand down pyjama bottoms

A psychiatric nurse who put his hand down a patient's pyjama bottoms and touched her private parts has been struck off by his professional standards body.

Emakpor Marvin Ogo, who worked on the Crystal Ward in Luton was charged with penetration and sexual assault of a patient but was found not guilty by a jury at Luton Crown Court.

However, the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) concluded he pursued a sexual relationship with the patient and engaged in sexually motivated activity.

Following a misconduct hearing, he was banned from the profession after his fitness to practise was deemed to be impaired.

The Crystal Ward is an acute adult mental health ward for female patients run by the East London NHS Foundation Trust and located within the grounds of the Luton & Dunstable University Hospital.

The panel heard how, in January 2016, Ogo had approached the patient initially to have a discussion with her before she eventually returned to her room.

The nurse went to the room, opened the door and then started to ask her questions about her private life and talk to her in a sexually explicit way.

He asked her if she wanted to have sex with him and if she would touch him, told her he loved her and would think of her when he was in bed at home.

Ogo also asked her to open her legs before preceding to hug and kiss her.

The hearing was also told he placed his hand down her trousers and top and touched her.

During an interview with police, the patient said she had felt “really scared... really uncomfortable” and no longer felt “100% safe on the ward”.

Ogo was charged with penetration and sexual assault a year later, in January 2017, before standing trial at Luton Crown Court in September that year.

He was subsequently found not guilty of both offences but failed to inform the NMC about the criminal proceedings until August 2018.

The nurse strongly denied the allegations throughout the police investigation, the trial and the NMC’s subsequent hearing.

The panel, however, ruled Ogo had engaged in "sexual misconduct", had "failed to protect a vulnerable patient" in his care.

Update 25/11/2024: A previous version of this story stated that Emakpor Marvin Ogo worked at Luton & Dunstable Hospital, based on the report supplied by the NMC. Ogo worked on the Crystal Ward, a facility run by the East London NHS Foundation Trust and located within the grounds of the Luton & Dunstable University Hospital.

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