Nurse pleads guilty to sexually assaulting unconscious patients

Andrew Hutchinson, 29, yesterday admitted to raping, sexually assaulting and spying on three female patients at the hospital between 2011 and 2012.

The patients, who were aged between 18 and 35, were unconscious at the time.

He also pleaded guilty to spying on girls and women aged between 10 and 20 at White Horse Leisure Centre in Abingdon and admitted to sexually assaulting two women in a medical tent at the Wilderness music festival in Oxfordshire in 2013.

Mr Hutchinson was arrested by the police on suspicion of voyeurism offences at the leisure centre in late 2013.

Following this, the police discovered further offences had taken place after finding images of sex offences on his mobile phone, computer and camera.

After being arrested Mr Hutchinson was sacked by Oxford University Hospitals Trust, which runs John Radcliffe Hospital.

Senior investigating officer detective chief inspector Mark Johns from Thames Valley Police described the case as “complicated and unusual”, because many of the victims did not know the offences had occurred due to being unconscious.

He said: ““Thames Valley Police sent specially trained officers to personally speak to all the victims, who showed great courage when informed with such distressing news.”

He added: “I have no doubt that Mr Hutchinson would have continued to offend had he not been arrested.”

Mark Power, director of workforce at the trust, said: “Our thoughts today are with the victims, whose trust was so betrayed in our hospital and elsewhere.  

“We have been shocked and horrified by the behaviour of the individual, who so badly let down both the patients he was entrusted to care for and his fellow colleagues, and who totally failed in his professional duties and responsibilities as a nurse,” he said.

Mr Power added: “I would wish to reassure members of the public that the welfare and safety of our patients is always our first priority.”

It has been reported elsewhere that Mr Hutchinson is no longer on the nursing register.

However, the Nursing and Midwifery Council has so far been unable to confirm this with HSJ’s sister title Nursing Times.