A LONG-STANDING GP sexually assaulted a young mother during an impromptu abdominal examination, a court heard.
Dr Olakunle Arowojolu, 54, allegedly left the woman "frozen with fear" on the consultancy bed at the North Chelmsford NHS walk-in centre in Springfield beside Sainsbury's supermarket.
The Nigerian ex-pat, who was also a partner at Kelvedon and Feering Health Centre, is standing trial at Chelmsford Crown Court charged with one count of sexual assault.
Standing before the jury on Monday, the victim claimed "white-coat syndrome" made it difficult for her to resist the alleged attack.
"I felt panic because I knew it was not an accident, I knew what he was doing," said the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
While on shift for private firm Primecare, which provides out-of-hours GP cover for NHS centres, Dr Arowojolu approached the woman at about 12.40am on Monday, July 22, last year.
A conversation about the woman's stomach, who was concerned it was elasticated after having two children, ensued, before Dr Arowojolu allegedly invited her into a consultancy room.
Once inside, where they stayed for seven minutes, the woman claims he spread paper roll over the examination bed, told her to lie down and pulled the privacy curtains closed.
She claims Dr Arowojolu, of Tollgate Drive, Stanway, proceeded to place his left hand around her back and his right hand at the base of her stomach, before helping her through repeated sit up exercises.
Yet crucially, the prosecution claims he slipped his hand below her knickers during the exercises, placing three fingers around and over her vagina.
Giving evidence, she said: "At first I was shocked.
"It felt like ages and I kind of froze, asking myself how is this happening? But as he continued to make me do the sit-ups his fingers were getting lower and lower until the whole of the top parts of his fingers were touching. Several times I said 'no, stop, stop, I don't want you to'.
"But he was just smiling and carrying on. After about seven or eight times I said 'it's hurting my stomach, my stomach is hurting', and he did stop."
After standing up however, she claims Dr Arowojolu talked her back on to the bed to continue the exercise.
"It's white-coat syndrome, you do what they tell you, they're respectable people," she said under scrutiny from defence barrister David Morris.
During the second series of exercises, the woman claimed he rubbed around her breast with his left hand and returned his hand firmly under her knickers.
"At one point he said 'yes, it's nice'," she said, before explaining Dr Arowojolu stopped after sensing her panicked voice.
After the two left the room, the doctor left the centre, while the victim claims she rang her husband.
Dr Arowojolu was arrested about six hours later and swabs, which proved inconclusive, were taken from the defendant.
Giving evidence Dr Arowojolu vehemently denied touching her genitalia and denied the second occasion, in which the victim returned to the bed, ever happened.
Dr Arowojolu qualified as a doctor in June 1982, moved to the UK in July 1995, gained his diploma in family planning in 2000 and became a specialist GP in 2004.
The court heard he worked at the Kelvedon and Feering Health Centre from 2005, became one of its three full partners in July 2012, but retired voluntarily from the centre on August 1, 2014 - more than a year after the alleged incident.
The trial continues and a jury is expected to return a verdict before tomorrow (October 17).
