16-6-2025
A Nigerian health worker Adewale Kudabo has been slapped with a one-year jail sentence for kissing a patient he was assigned to nurse back to health.
The sentence was handed down to Mr. Kudabo by a UK Court after he was found guilty of sexual assault.
Judge Alex Menary said Kudabo had “abused the trust” placed in him as a healthcare professional.
“You abused that trust,” Menary told Kudabo in court, noting that the victim had placed confidence in him during a vulnerable period.
According to the prosecution, Kudabo was assigned to bathe a patient in severe pain. After assisting her, he reportedly kissed her on the lips, an act the victim, despite her condition, tried to avoid.
Prosecutor Henry Fernnandez said the victim was left confused and deeply uncomfortable.
Days later, Kudabo allegedly approached the same patient again, offered another “bed bath,” and made another attempt to kiss her.
The court heard that the incident caused the victim significant emotional distress, including anxiety and flashbacks.
Kudabo, who had no prior convictions, was described by his lawyer, Jerry Sodipe, as remorseful.
“He has held up his hands to say, yes he is guilty, he shouldn’t have done that,” Sodipe told the court.
Sodipe added that Kudabo had moved to the UK from Nigeria with his family for work but has now lost his job following the incident.
The York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which oversees York Hospital, issued a statement expressing “sincere apologies” to the victim and confirmed that Kudabo left his position shortly after the assault.
Judge Menary ruled that Kudabo must serve half of the 12-month sentence before he can be considered for release.