‘Highly respected’ gynaecologist jailed for 14 months after using hidden camera to film women

Jomo Mathurine, 40, was jailed for 14 months at Reading Crown Court today. A judge made him subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years which prohibited from making any image with a woman as the subject without her prior consent

A ‘highly respected’ hospital consultant who secretly filmed his sexual encounters with a camera hidden in his glasses was today jailed for 14 months. 

Jomo Mathurine, 40, who was based at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, was found with 15 still images and 96 video clips of women after one of his victims, a former girlfriend, contacted police. 

The gynaecologist, who also worked for a spell at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, Berkshire, also set up covert cameras to record sexual encounters with his student nurse girlfriend.

Details of the NHS and private medicine expert’s exploits were revealed to a judge today when the consultant was sentenced at Reading Crown Court.

Mathurine, who a judge said had ‘issues with sexual entitlement’, had set up multiple hidden cameras at his victim’s student accommodation, where they would meet for casual sex.

When his 19-year-old victim found out her middle-aged lover had secretly made more than 100 clips of her and other women, sometimes during sexual acts, he had told her he would ‘take her down’ using the media as leverage, the judge was told.

Explaining his shocking behaviour, the court heard Mathurine, of Twin Flower, Milton Keynes, had said: ‘In life, you have to take risks.’

The 49-year-old obstetrician and gynaecologist was a well-respected and senior consultant at the hospital where they both worked, the court heard, so she felt afraid to report him to the police.

Outlining the case, the prosecutor said Mathurine’s voyeurism was ‘of a considered, sustained and devious nature, with the defendant taking full advantage of his relationship with a much younger victim.’

A barrister defending the disgraced doctor argued he should not be jailed, saying: ‘What we are left with is Mr Mathurine, who has practiced for his whole life as a doctor, losing that. That, in my submission, goes beyond the punitive element of imprisonment.’

While based at East Surrey Hospital, Mathurine had worked as a visiting consultant at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, which was where he met his victim – a student nurse.

The court heard she did not want anyone to know about their relationship because he had a ‘reputation’ in their place of work.

While based at East Surrey Hospital, Mathurine had worked as a visiting consultant at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough (pictured), which was where he one of his victims - a student nurse

While based at East Surrey Hospital, Mathurine had worked as a visiting consultant at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough (pictured), which was where he one of his victims – a student nurse

Ian Hope, prosecuting, said: ‘She was aged 19 years, he was in his late 40s. He offered to provide her with assistance for her studies. 

‘She was completing a work placement, he was one of the most senior members of staff at the hospital. They began a sexual relationship in September 2016 which ran on and off for about two years.

‘In Autumn last year, the victim became concerned the defendant was accessing her personal messages. He confirmed in fact he had been,’ said the prosecutor.

The victim saw a graphic video on the consultant’s iMac of her performing oral sex on him at her flat in Reading, which she did not realise had been taken.

Mr Hope continued: ‘She confronted him. In that conversation he threatened to take her down, which she took to be a threat. He said he was going to show everyone this video.

‘The relationship limped through to January this year. The victim felt pressurised to continue seeing him because she knew that he had that video.

‘He said he had made that recording so he could watch it while masturbating and said he had not asked for permission because he knew she would say no.’

The victim told police she saw further recordings on his iPad, in student accommodation that she recognised and other members of staff that she recognised.

Mr Hope said: ‘Around this time, she asked him why he would risk his career making covert sexual videos of her. He said ‘in life, you have to take risks’.’

The judge heard that on January 2 this year, the victim broke down in tears to a fellow student and said Mathurine had been using the secret images as leverage over her.

An argument erupted at her student accommodation when Mathurine arrived and demanded to know who she had been speaking to, having been listening outside her door, before taking her phone away. She called for a security guard, who told police how Mathurine had called the victim ‘a slut.’

Mathurine (pictured) had admitted three counts of voyeurism when he appeared for a plea and trial preparation hearing, the court heard, and had been suspended by the General Medical Council pending an investigation

Mathurine (pictured) had admitted three counts of voyeurism when he appeared for a plea and trial preparation hearing, the court heard, and had been suspended by the General Medical Council pending an investigation

The next day, the victim and her friend attended Reading police station, the court heard.

Mr Hope said: ‘The defendant contacted her supervisors, telling them he had something of importance to tell them about one of their students.’

Mathurine never took any further action as he was arrested at his family home on December 10, after which he gave a no-comment interview to police and Reading Crown Court heard he had refused to give up his PIN codes and passwords for his digital devices, including his iMac, for a long time.

At the time of sentencing, he had still refused police access to some devices, claiming they were his wife’s, the court heard.

When police did access his material, the prosecutor said, they found 15 still images and 96 video clips, some of the victim and others of other women, some of whom were members of staff at the hospital where Mathurine worked.

Mr Hope said an investigation was ongoing into whether the clips of the other women had been taken without permission.

‘It is clear evidence that Mr Mathurine has, at the very least, a very well-developed interest in such recordings, in which the subject at the very least is acting as if they are not aware that they are being recorded.’

Mathurine had been operating multiple recording devices at the same time, the court heard, using a pair of ‘covert digital spectacles’ and a hidden key fob which he set up in different positions throughout the victim’s student flat over the course of two years.

Detectives had realised Mathurine had been filming through his glasses by reviewing a clip where he was looking into a mirror and noticing how the camera moved. They then recovered a broken pair of digital spectacles at Mathurine’s family home and then found a fully functioning pair at the flat in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, that he had moved to.

Mr Hope said: ‘The victim was asked by police about the spectacles. She said he had several pairs of what she took to be reading glasses. He did not always need to wear them. She had no idea that the man she was sleeping with had covert spectacles.’

In some of the 26 movie clips found on a digital card in those spectacles, police found a movie where Mathurine watched himself setting up a car key fob with a button that sets it to record.

Mr Hope said: ‘He seems to place it carefully in the victim’s bedroom, activating it surreptitiously away from her view.’

The court heard how the key fob device had never been recovered by police, who found similar ones for sale online.

Details of the NHS and private medicine expert's exploits were revealed to a judge today when the consultant was sentenced at Reading Crown Court (pictured)

Details of the NHS and private medicine expert’s exploits were revealed to a judge today when the consultant was sentenced at Reading Crown Court (pictured)

In a victim impact statement, the young student nurse, who was due to qualify from her studies in January this year, had said she felt ‘worthless’ and had been having difficulties sleeping, numerous panic attacks and flashbacks. She had since left England to live with her family abroad.

Mathurine had admitted three counts of voyeurism when he appeared for a plea and trial preparation hearing, the court heard, and had been suspended by the General Medical Council pending an investigation.

Defending the doctor, Thalia Maragh said: ‘The threat or words of threat of exposing her is one which I submit is not something that he would have carried out. As a senior consultant at the level he was, it would have reflected negatively on him.

‘He is highly regarded in his profession. He became a doctor in 1995, qualified in Trinidad and Tobago, then he came here. He went through all the training, made all the sacrifices to get to the level of senior consultant that he has.’

Ms Maragh pointed to character references submitted by Mathurine’s peers in the NHS and a 360-degree report outlining his professionalism and dedication to patients in the workplace, adding that the defendant had been to see a counsellor four times to try to address the reasons behind his offending.

Judge Sarah Campbell, questioning the counsellor’s findings, said: ‘A very experienced probation officer has formed the view Mr Mathurine has issues with sexual entitlement.’

The defending lawyer then said how, although Mathurine had been separated from his wife for five years by the time he met the victim, he had still lived with her for his two children – his 16-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son – and was their primary breadwinner.

She said: ‘His daughter has been in private school, at the end of GCSEs. That will need to come to an end because they can no longer afford it.

‘If he goes to prison at this stage, it will be a Christmas without her father at a critical stage of her life which can only have the effect of railroading her.

‘She is a child of mixed heritage – I do not need to impress upon Your Honour the obvious disadvantage that children from minority backgrounds face in this society without education.’

Mathurine sat in the dock wearing a smart suit. He had brought a pair of spectacles with him which he was pictured wearing as he came into court and had a bag. He rested his cheek on his left hand and listened to the judge.

Judge Campbell, in sentencing, said: ‘Prior to January this year you were a well-respected hard working consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, known for your excellent patient care.

‘There was a dark and devious side of this character, an obsession with voyeurism. No doubt these offences will come as a great shock to those with whom you worked and no doubt will be a concern to anyone treated by you, given your profession.

‘Your guilty pleas to this matter seriously let down the profession that you performed.’

The judge jailed Mathurine for 14 months and made him subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years which prohibited from making any image with a woman as the subject without her prior consent.