12-year sentence for sex abuse GP

A family doctor who filmed himself sexually abusing female patients with his James Bond-style wristwatch has been jailed for 12 years.

Dr Davinder Jeet Bains, 46, used a secret camera hidden inside his watch as he assaulted more than two dozen women at a medical practice in Wiltshire, where he was a trusted GP.

Police described Bains as a "sexual predator" and said he had filmed up to 300 women while the sentencing judge branded him a "disgrace to the medical profession".

Some of his victims at the Tinkers Lane Surgery in Royal Wootton Bassett, near Swindon, spoke of their shock at discovering what the "pervy doctor" had done to them. One woman, in her 30s, said she felt "violated and humiliated" at seeing the footage and felt "sick".

"I am relieved he has been locked up for 12 years but the horror of what happened to me and the other women is a life sentence and will remain with us forever," she said. "I'm sad to admit it, but I have lost faith in the NHS."

Questions were also being asked of the Tinkers Lane Surgery after it emerged that two patients had complained about Bains's behaviour, but nothing was done. The detective who brought Malaysian-born predator to justice described that situation as "frustrating".

Bains admitted 39 charges: 13 of assault by penetration, 13 of voyeurism, 11 of sexual assault and two of sexual activity with a child. He asked for 65 offences to be taken into account and his not guilty pleas to four other charges will lie on file. Bains, of Nyland Road, Swindon, committed offences against 27 women - aged from 14 to 51 - between July 2009 and June 2012.

Passing sentence at Swindon Crown Court, Judge Douglas Field told Bains he had breached the trust people put in their doctor and had committed the offences for his own "sexual gratification". "When committing these offences you breached your trust in the most grievous way... You are a disgrace to the medical profession," he said.

Bains was placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and given a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Rex Tedd QC, defending, said Bains had committed the offences after his marriage ended because of his "sexual inadequacy".

In a statement, the surgery said: "The partners of Tinkers Lane Surgery are still trying to come to terms with the shocking crimes of Dr Bains and deeply regret his unforgivable behaviour and the impact this has had on our patients and the local community." An independent review has been commissioned.