Surgeon sexually harassed female colleagues at Oxford Transplant Centre, tribunal told

A transplant surgeon sexually harassed female colleagues, made racist comments and abused his senior position in a catalogue of inappropriate behaviour, a medical tribunal has heard.

The General Medical Council (GMC) says the alleged misconduct of James Gilbert was also intimidating on occasions as he told some junior employees that he could affect their career prospects.

Chloe Hudson, representing the GMC, said the first complainant, Ms A, said Mr Gilbert made a number of sexually motivated comments to her during her time at the Oxford Transplant Centre.

On one occasion he was said to have remarked: "You are a well put together girl. You must always wear matching underwear, correct? What underwear are you wearing now?", while on another he said: "You must love the attention you get in that sexy leather jacket."

Mr Gilbert is also said to have inappropriately touched her without her consent on a number of occasions including pressing his body against hers while assisting in an operation.

Ms Hudson said: "She (Ms A) says she could feel his breath on her neck and he only moved away when she mentioned the name of her partner."

He was also on another occasion said to have physically traced his finger across her body and then kept it there for several seconds as she "felt paralysed, powerless, humiliated and upset".

Ms Hudson said: "This behaviour was clearly unwanted by Ms A."

Ms A also described receiving late-night out-of-work phone calls from Mr Gilbert which she "felt compelled to answer".

Ms Hudson said: "She feared he would make life difficult for her. He said he was instrumental in national selection and would be able to affect her career prospects."

Ms Hudson said Mr Gilbert made derogatory comments to Ms A about another surgeon who he said was "terrible", "just useless" and "never going to get anywhere".

She said: "These remarks left her no doubt thinking if she didn’t put up with what he was doing then her own career would also suffer."

Racist comments were also made to Ms A, said Ms Hudson, including: "You know how Africans clean themselves after they go to the toilet, they just use their hands. No wonder they always get infections."

He was also said to have stated to Ms A about Africans: "They are only interested in a good time. They only come out after the sun comes down."

In a witness statement about the latter comment, Ms A said: "I have never heard anything like it in my life. It was just so horrific. I was very upset and I left the room."

Mr Gilbert is said to have behaved inappropriately with another junior female colleague, Ms E, in that he tickled her when she was alone, in a corridor or in the anaesthetic room, and would also grab and massage her shoulders.

Ms Hudson said: "She said she felt like a deer in the headlights and she could not move or breathe."

Touching her knees and thighs under the operating table was a "constant occurrence" for Ms E, she went on, and that Mr Gilbert would joke about it.

Ms E said she too received evening phone calls and thought she would be "blacklisted" if she did not pick up, it was alleged.

"He told her knew a lot of people that could influence her career in later life," said Ms Hudson.

Mr Gilbert is also said to have remarked while staring at her breasts: "I have been watching you and you are pretty perfect", and asked if her underwear was a matching set.

He is said to have made similar inappropriate comments to a Ms G when he asked if she was single and "knew what she needed in a man".

He added: "You looked great in a pair of scrubs and don’t need to go to the gym. Bet you are really wild on a night out."

Mr Gilbert is also said to have been sexually motivated when he touched her foot underneath the operating table and slid his own up the inside of her leg and rested it between her thighs before he leaned on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

Mr Gilbert also inappropriately touched another colleague, Ms H, the tribunal heard, and that he touched her knee from behind and said: "Your legs are sporty."

On a separate occasion he was said to have approached her in the corridor and put his hand underneath her jacket and around her waist as he said: "Oh it’s a bit too narrow for both of us but it feels incredibly nice."

And while during a surgical procedure he was said to have asked Ms H: "Oh, how do you prefer it? Are you letting someone stick it in or you doing it yourself?"

Another female colleague said she was "offended" when during an organ donor procedure in front of doctors, nurses and theatre staff from another hospital Mr Gilbert said about an Asian patient: "Look at all that fat. This is what happens when you eat a chapati."

Dr Gilbert denies misconduct on various dates between 2009 and 2022.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing sitting in Manchester is estimated to last four weeks.

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