Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and others-spare a thought for university students.
The world has been rocked by the increasing allegations of sexual abuse and sexual assault by Harvey Weinstein. Actresses Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow have come forward. (1)
People are asking why are people coming forward now. I will answer this question later based on my own experience-especially as today is World Student Day.
Fair trial
In the UK if you are accused of sexual assault then it cannot be reported in the press until a guilty verdict has been reached by a jury in a court of law. This is to ensure the defendant has a fair trial and to ensure that unfounded claims of sexual harassment do not damage the reputation and character of the accused. This is why Britain First leaders Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen could be in trouble for exposing alleged rapists (2.)
My own view is that no publicity should be allowed until all recourses to appeal have been exhausted.
What is sexual assault?
It is unwanted sexual contact that is unwanted by the recipient. Please note that it does not have to be penetrative sex. Even sexual comments can be taken as sexual assault.
False accusations of sexual assault against me.
When I was a medical student I did an attachment at the Jessop’s hospital for women. As part of our training, we had to internally examine female patients under anaesthesia. I was always told that you should get a medical consent form signed by the patient and put it in the medical notes, which I did-in every case. All the patients accepted that “you’ve got to learn.”
My consultant hated me for doing that. He was well known for getting medical students to internally examine women under anaesthesia without consent.
Indeed when I performed one examination one of the female students with me said “you didn’t ask her for consent.” I replied that I had written consent.
A few months later there were rumours flying around the medical student population saying that this consultant was being sued because I allegedly internally examined a female patient under anaesthesia. I wrote to him, giving him a copy of the consent forms. He wrote back to me saying that he had no knowledge of any such litigation but it was nice to know that I had obtained consent- which in his view was not necessary.
Here’s the problem. If you don’t do enough examinations and don’t get your consultant’s signature you fail your attachment in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. If you examine without consent you risk criminal proceedings being taken against you.
Needless to say, that the women’s sabbatical officer at the student union took that letter very seriously.
What my father told me
Never touch a woman anywhere but her hands. If you hug a woman put your arms around her neck. Any sexual activity must be initiated by her. It’s something that most Hindu and Sikh men teach their sons as it’s written in their holy scriptures. The downside to that is that some of my ex-girlfriends thought I was frigid and not interested. In fact, one of my ex-girlfriends dumped because she thought I wasn’t interested in her that way and was taking it too slowly.
University lecturers can be just as bad- if not worse-especially in medical schools.
When I was a medical student. You would never dare complain about any lecturer or consultant no matter what they did to you. If you did then there would be repercussions. The best example was Steve Peters — the same man who treated England captain Steven Gerrard.
Covering up
In 1999 the Student British Medical Journal asked me to write a paper on why I thought students should have their papers back once marked. To make matters more controversial they got Professor Weetman-the dean of the medical school to write a paper saying why students should not have their papers back once marked.
On finding out that I was writing the proposing article Weetman demanded that he saw my paper before writing his. There was something he didn’t want the public to know. He didn’t want the public to know of the behaviour of Steve Peterstowards me.
In 2005 the student union newspaper The Steel Press was going to run a story on what Weetman didn’t want the public to find out. I gave them all the information. This is how their editor reacted.
“I’m really sorry but the steel press can’t run that story I wrote. They still
say there’s all sorts of libel stuff in there even after I said it had already
been written in the times and I have the documents you gave me. It’s also hard because noone agreed to speak to me about other side of story. Everyone at the steel press has been talking about it and it has gotten around to the (vice) chancellor who has said if we print the story he will shut the steel press down. Sorry. I tried my best!
Lisa
(news ed-steel press)”
“I was raped by a consultant in X hospital. He told me that if I complained he’d make sure I never qualified in medicine as he’s a good friend of the dean. Professor (name removed.)”
When I did my research year I surveyed every medical student at the University of Sheffield the above was the most disturbing response. However there were several like that.
The consultant who asked for my help
There was one consultant who rang me for advice — he was being criminally charged for raping a female medical student. I asked him if he had done it. He said “Yes. She is Muslim and she was not wearing a niquab I told her that she must to gain respect. She refused. Anyway, I wanted her as my wife so I decided to rape her and claim her as I can do under Sharia law which is divine law from God. Do you think I should ring up the dean and demand she be barred from the medical school? I know he will because I’ve raped students before and he said that if any student complains then send them to him and he’ll deal with it.”
My response was “I hope you get life imprisonment. This is a Christian country and Sharia law does not apply here. In any event, the Quran says that every woman is your sister and any attempt to disrespect your sister is considered by Allah to be an insult greater than one to God himself.” I actually recorded that conversation and I gave it to the police.
So why are these women only coming forward now?
Let me answer that now.
Repercussions
The first reason being that there would be repercussions on their careers and livelihoods. When I was a medical student at the University of Sheffield the consultants would flout the rules left right and centre and you will not believe how they behaved towards students and junior doctors. However they knew they could get away with it because nobody would complain,
To give an example the university had a system of anonymous marking. Students were not meant to write their names on their papers- just their university registration numbers so in theory the examiner would not know whose paper they were marking. If you see the article below you’ll see it’s worthless.
Dr Steve Peters would openly and with impunity intimidate students to write their names on their papers. He even said that the dean Professor Frank Sharp had said it was OK to do this. However when I was in a position where I had nothing to lose then I told a review panel about it.
The university authorities had no choice but to take action against him- however it was lip service action.
However in obstetrics and gynaecology there was a two digit candidate number to be put on each sheet of paper in the practical exam. You also had to write your name on the paper. There was a hugely disproportionate number of ethnic minority students failing exams, especially in the 4ths year of the course where you where the year group of 180 were split into groups of 60 and rotated between obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and psychiatry.
In those days it was accepted by the ethnic minorities on my course that if you were non-white you were going to fail one of the 4th year subjects.
When I was in a nothing to lose situation I told the commission for Racial Equality what they were doing. If you see (3) — the letter from the Commission for Racial Equality you will see their damning judgement.
Financial ruin
Medical students graduate with debts around £100,000 now. If you don’t qualify then you are facing bankruptcy. As an undergraduate student in any discipline you are wholly at the mercy of that person whose signature you need to proceed.
The authorities will not take action
The authorities will rarely take action against someone from the establishment. There is an old phrase in legal circles. “If the courts can rule with the establishment they will.”
Let me give you an example. I took my NHS employers to an employment tribunal. At the time the rules stated that to suspend a junior doctor you needed the written authority of the postgraduate dean.(4)
At the time there was another junior doctor who under the same dean Professor David Graham killed a patient with a lethal dose of potassium chloride.(5). She was not suspended or faced any action.
I was suspended over charges described by the hospital’s lawyer were trivial (6.)
I took Professor Graham to an employment tribunal for discrimination. At the last minute he submitted a handwritten statement saying that he did not authorise my suspension.(7.)
On that basis the main claim against him was thrown out.
He then put in a costs claim of £30,000.
I then reported him to the police for perjury (8) I told the police that the hospital had denied a non-contractual suspension. Therefore the suspension as contractual, therefore Graham authorised it. I sent a copy to Graham’s lawyers.
He dropped the costs claim like a hot potato.(9)
However that was in 2004 I have yet to hear from the police.
Given the Rotherham child abuse scandal- (10) and the cover up by the police at the Hillsborough disaster (11) and this is it any wonder that people have less faith in the police?
The authorities will turn on you
There is always the fear that the authorities will turn on you and gang up on you.
If you are a student
NEVER speak to a university lecturer without a witness and using your mobile phone always record any conversation you have with your lecturers or tutors. You never know when you have someone like Peters or Graham around.
What you can do
Read 35 or so ways to avoid rape.
Conclusion
The time is up for these people. They could easily get away with it beforehand but now with new technology they can’t.
Bibliography
- Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow add to allegations against Harvey Weinstein https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYfJwNhUFsE
- Britain First’s Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen arrestedhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-42351026
- Minority Medics Probe Times Higherhttps://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/whistleblowers-minority-medics-probe/156729.article
- Appendix 9 NCH procedures.
- Doctor faces patient death probe http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/doctor-faces-patient-death-probe-3560204
- Mace and Jones email 13 January 2003 https://www.dropbox.com/s/7yk1lfy62ffw03p/maceandjones13jan2003.pdf?dl=0
- David Graham hand written statement 19 April 2004 https://www.dropbox.com/s/7txhrtqiwk9xa59/drg19april2004.pdf?dl=0
- Letter to police https://www.dropbox.com/s/s6l1idqr8nzz2tl/drgperjury.pdf?dl=0
- Letter from the Office of the solicitor to the Liverpool Employment Tribunal. https://www.dropbox.com/s/pu49hexi13j98vt/drg%20victory.pdf?dl=0
- Rotherham child abuse: The background to the scandal http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-28934963
- Hillsborough verdicts: Police to blame for disaster in which 96 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed, jury concludes http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/26/Hillsborough-disaster-verdict-96-victims-unlawfully-killed-jury-concludes/
