A 47-year-old Nigerian man, Adewale Kudabo, has been sentenced to one year in prison in the UK for sexually assaulting a female patient by kissing her against her will at York Hospital.

According to court proceedings, Kudabo, who worked as a healthcare assistant, assaulted the woman on two separate occasions while she was under his care. Prosecutor Henry Fernnandez told the court that the first incident happened shortly after Kudabo helped bathe the patient, who was in significant pain. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips, leaving her “confused and uncomfortable.”

Days later, Kudabo again offered the woman a “bed bath” and attempted to kiss her a second time. Despite her efforts to move away, she was unable to avoid the kiss.

The victim has since developed anxiety and suffers from flashbacks related to the assaults. She eventually reported Kudabo to the police.

During his trial in April, Kudabo — who lives on Count De Burgh Terrace, South Bank, York — pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault.

At his sentencing on June 10, Judge Alex Menary emphasized that the victim had trusted Kudabo during a vulnerable moment and that he violated that trust. “Only an immediate prison sentence is appropriate,” the judge ruled, adding that Kudabo must serve at least half of the 12-month sentence before being eligible for release.

Kudabo’s defence lawyer, Jerry Sodipe, said his client had no previous convictions, showed remorse, and had misunderstood the situation. Kudabo wrongly believed a kiss might comfort the patient.

“He accepts that what he did was wrong,” Sodipe stated. Kudabo has since lost his job and faced the consequences of his actions.

In response to the incident, the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust issued an apology, stating:

“Patients should always feel safe and respected while in our care. We acted swiftly, and the individual involved left our employment soon after the incident.”