Dentist found not guilty in sexual assault case
A Lincoln dentist has been cleared of allegations of sexual assault on four female patients.
Adrian Heath, a 44 year old dentist, who had also previously stood as a candidate for the Liberal Democrat Party, was accused of assaulting four female patients during a period of time between November 2007 and August 2008. The former Liberal Democrat candidate lost out to Conservative candidate Edward Leigh in the 2005 general election and had returned to work at the Genesis Dental Care Practice in Gainsborough, Lincoln.
The jury at Nottingham Crown Court heard how Mr Heath had requested time alone with the female patients before carrying out indecent actions including groping one woman’s breasts and asking another to take off her trousers.
Mr Heath dismissed all the allegations and said he “unequivocally” denied touching any patients in an unacceptable or sexual manner. He said the allegations were “ridiculous and bizarre” and responded to the accusation of groping the female patient by saying that he had merely been checking the woman’s throat and neck for inflamed glands, which would indicate an infection of some sort.
The trial lasted eight days and the jury reached a not guilty verdict yesterday; on hearing the news, Mr Heath looked visibly relieved and collapsed into his wife’s arms. He left the court without making any comments about the result of the case.
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