HOSPITAL bosses knew of a complaint of “inappropriate behaviour” by nurse Andrew Hutchinson five years before he was charged with raping two unconscious patients and filming other women. 

The 29-year-old former accident and emergency nurse admitted 23 sexual offences between 2011 and 2013 – including two of rape at the hospital and voyeurism – last month.

But a complaint of him taking inappropriate photographs at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington was made to the then Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust in 2009, the Health Service Journal has discovered.

That complaint was dismissed.

After Hutchinson admitted his string of sexual offences on March 30, Oxford University Hospitals Trust spokeswoman Susan Brown put out a statement, that included in its background notes, with the second sentence in bold: “November 2014 TVP requested a meeting with the trust and at the meeting informed OUH about the images they had found and that they believed some were taken on trust property. This is the first time that the OUH were aware of the serious allegations of sexual assault, voyeurism and rape that took place in our hospital.”

Asked why that statement did not reveal the trust’s full knowledge about complaints against Hutchinson, it replied it was “not at liberty to publicly reveal the details of this previous complaint while the police case was being brought to court”.

It added: “The trust was aware of the complaint in 2009 which was not upheld, and the details were passed to the police in November 2014 when we were made aware of the serious allegations against Andrew Hutchinson of rape and sexual assault.

“The complaint in 2009 was not about voyeurism or sexual assault – it was a complaint made by a student nurse of inappropriate behaviour by Andrew Hutchinson.”

Director Mark Power said that as a consequence of the case, the trust was “reviewing its policies and procedures and considering whether anything could have been done differently in 2009”.

Hutchinson’s crimes were discovered after he was arrested in 2013 for secretly filming women getting changed at the White Horse Leisure Centre in Abingdon.

Officers searched his home and found photos and videos of him abusing women dating back to 2011 that he had taken himself.

The trust confirmed Hutchinson was accused of “inappropriate behaviour” against a student nurse who was working in the department in 2009.

Mr Power said: “The complaint was made indirectly by a university faculty following a disclosure by a female student nurse.

 

“Despite the indirect nature of the complaint, the trust conducted an immediate investigation, which ultimately concluded that there was nothing to substantiate the complaint.

“For this reason there were no grounds for referral by the trust to Thames Valley Police.”

Hutchinson, of Garford near Abingdon, is due to be sentenced on April 27 after pleading guilty to a total of 27 offences at Oxford Crown Court.

It follows the jailing of 37-yearold nurse Oliver Balicao in 2010 for raping a 17-year-old girl at the same hospital and sexually assaulting another patient in her bed.

Charity Victim Support said: “It would be tragic if the hospital could and should have done something sooner to stop Hutchinson.

“The victims in the 23 sexual assaults will want answers.”