A SENIOR hospital nurse sexually assaulted a terrified junior colleague on a night shift, a misconduct panel heard.

Sreeprasanth Sabapathy tricked the woman into joining him in a back room before attacking her.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council misconduct panel heard how Sabapathy groped the woman and placed her hands on his genitals against her will as she fought in vain to push him away.

Sabapathy has now been banned from the profession after seven sexual misconduct charges were proved in front of a panel.

In a witness statement, the woman told how she was about to tend to a patient when she was called by Sabapathy to join him in a side room at Broomfield Hospital.

She said: “Immediately I was inside the room with my back to the closed door standing face to face with Sree, he tried to give me a cuddle.

“Sree placed his arms around me and his hands wandered down my back until he had placed both his hands on the cheeks of my bottom over my clothing.

“Sree then placed both his hands on both my breasts again over my clothing.

“I told him to get off me and was shocked and upset by what he was doing.

“I tried to get out of the room and open the door. Sree tried to stop me. He grabbed my left hand and pulled it towards him.

“He then forced my hand on to his groin and private parts over his clothing.”

The woman first reported the sexual assault in March last year to Essex Police but a criminal investigation did not take place.

The NMC hearing in London found seven sexual misconduct charges proved and banned Sabapathy from the profession.

Panel chair John Vellacot told Sabapathy: “Nothing short of a striking-off order would be sufficient in this case. The panel concluded that your misconduct demonstrated a significant departure from the standards expected of a registered nurse and is fundamentally incompatible with you remaining on the register.”