A “highly manipulative” gynaecologist who groped four female patients during consultations has been jailed.

Mahesh Patwardhan of Alderton Hill, Loughton, received an eight-year prison sentence at Woolwich Crown Court today (July 26) for his crimes at hospitals including one in Buckhurst Hill.

Typically Patwardhan, 53, would bend the women over an examination couch and fondle their breasts from behind.

During his trial the jury was told he even asked one woman to reveal her tattooed bottom.

The Indian born father-of-two was turned on by rubbing himself against the women as he groped them.

He saw private patients at The Holly in Buckhurst Hill High Road, the Blackheath Hospital and NHS patients at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Charlton.

With his wife and adult son and daughter in court, he was convicted of four counts of sexual assault between July 31 2008 and September 24 2012.

Patwardhan, who is married to an anaesthetist, was also convicted of two counts of fraud relating to falsely billing private medical insurers for work he did not perform.

The already-disgraced doctor had been struck off by the General Medical Council in October 2014 and publicity from that case prompted more victims to come forward.

An investigation was launched by the Metropolitan Police and he was arrested on November 20 2014 as he stepped off a flight from India at Heathrow Airport.

Prosecutor Kate Bex told the jury a 32-year-old mum-of-three was seen at Queen Elizabeth in 2008.

“He came behind her and put his arms around her and onto her breasts.

“He groped her breasts and squeezed them with his hands and she was in total shock,” said Miss Bex.

She told the court that the woman made an excuse to avoid removing the rest of her clothing.

In a recorded interview with police the woman said: “He came behind us and that's when he put his hands on us.

“He wasn't talking, he was just groping my breasts.

“It was horrible, I was in total shock.

“I didn't know what to do, I felt sick and disgusted.

“When he said 'Take your knickers off' I knew something was wrong.

“If I had lain on that couch and taken my knickers off what would he have done?”

Another woman, a 37-year-old mum-of-two, says Patwardhan became more intimate after sizing her up.

“The cuddling started after her second or third visit,” said Miss Bex.

“He'd hug her goodbye and push his body into her, grab her bottom and kiss her on the cheek.

“He examined her breasts after asking her to bend over the couch and asked her to show him the tattoo on her bum.”

A 30-year-old woman was a private Blackheath Hospital patient, who had an ovarian cyst.

“The defendant put his arms around her, his hand on her knee and told her she was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.

“He asked her to bend over the couch and she could feel his body pressing against hers from behind while cupping her breasts.

“She thought he became aroused and she was embarrassed so put her clothes on and left the room as fast as she could.”

Patwardhan offered to investigate the back pain of a woman aged 26, before feeling her spine and cupping her breasts.

A 35-year-old private patient gave Patwardhan the opportunity to make some extra money out of her insurers.

He performed intimate cosmetic surgery on the woman, but billed her insurers AXA PPP for cyst removal because they would not cover the true operation, the jury were told.

“Afterwards he told her she would soon be having 'Lots of sexy sex and orgasms' in a way that gave her the creeps,” said Miss Bex.

Patwardhan was cleared of sexually assaulting this patient and a 37-year-old referred by her GP after a smear test.

A private BUPA patient, aged 21, came forward to report Patwardhan for making her sign a claim form for a £195 non-existent pre-surgery consultation.

She was seen at The Holly, where the defendant's wife was the anaesthetist, and said she did not make a fuss because she was in the couple's hands.

When questioned by police Patwardhan mainly answered “no comment” to questions, but denied making dishonest claims and making sexually-motivated examinations.

Patwardhan’s QC, David Etherington, said: “The entire family are standing by him, plus a large community of friends.

“It's obvious he is never going to practise again as a doctor.

“This amounts to a total destruction of this man's career, everything he's studied and worked for.

“He's going to have to start his life again when he comes out of prison.”

Judge Alice Robinson told Patwardhan: “You indulged in totally unnecessary breast examinations for your own perverse sexual gratification and some of the patients suffered severe psychological harm.

“Almost the most shocking aspect was your cavalier attitude to the wholesale falsification of medical records.”

As well as the jail sentence she also ordered him to sign the sex offenders register for life and he will be barred from ever working with children or vulnerable adults.

The judge said one victim’s impact statement was “one of the most harrowing” she had ever read.

She added: “You knew she was vulnerable because of sexual abuse she had suffered and she's withdrawn from the world.

“Another woman has attempted suicide and says you have ruined her life.”

After guilty verdicts by the jury last month, detective constable Mark Azariah said: “Patwardhan is a highly manipulative individual, having used his position of trust and authority to prey on the victims under his medical care, believing that they would be too embarrassed to report such offences to police.

“Thankfully he was mistaken and I commend the victims for their courage in speaking out despite the sensitivity surrounding their personal medical concerns.

“I hope that the result and the fact he is no longer a practising doctor brings them some comfort and peace of mind in what has been a traumatic ordeal.”