Prof Sperm Donor: "Like Something Out Of A Horror Movie"

A wannabe Great Yarmouth mum, eager to have a baby, told a jury her experience with a University College London scientist sperm donor was: "Like something out of a horror movie."

Professor Gennadij Raivich, 51, of Rashleigh House, Thanet Street, St. Pancras, a perinatal neuroscientist, denies sexually assaulting three women who used his unregulated "one stop shop" artificial insemination service, in the hope of becoming pregnant.

The woman, 26, who has been in a same-sex relationship for nearly ten years, told Blackfriars Crown Court he visited her home on January 28 and 30, last year and as a result she has given birth to his child.

Raivich carried a "donation kit" which contained a dvd player, which he watched pornography on, rubber gloves and a speculum and pipette and was happy to carry-out home visits all over the country.

She told the court via a video link: "We proceeded with 'Frank' because he said he was a medical professional, which is why we chose him to be a donor."

Raivich travelled by train to her home in Great Yarmouth on January 28, last year and arrived at her home via a taxi at 9.30pm.

"The first night he came in we shook his hand and he told us his name was Frank. He demanded from my partner whether he could have tea or toast.

"Then we spoke for a few moments about him being a donor and he asked me where the dvd player was and I set it up for him."

When asked if they discussed what he would be viewing she replied: "We never actually spoke about that.

"I went upstairs with my partner while he done what he done and then Frank came up.

"He could see I was nervous and agitated and asked me to relax.

"He told me to relax, it was his job, he knew what he was doing and I was in good hands.

"He just kept reassuring me this was his job. I asked some questions like how successful the ICI was and how many times he'd done this sort of thing.

"He reassured me it was a good method and in his medical profession it was a good method and there had been fifty-six successful pregnancies through this.

"I asked, because obviously myself and my partner did not want contact with the donor after, and he said he'd like updates and the occasional photo.

"He then told me to get undressed from the waist down and I laid on the bed and the first time it was just like a smear test.

"He never washed his hands, he didn't have gloves on, he didn't use lubricant, which I thought was a bit odd considering.

"There was a speculum used. He put that inside me, which as you can imagine was painful considering he did not use lubricant.

"I was just laying on my back. Frank put a cushion under my bum to prop me up a bit and inserted the sperm with a little pipette thing and asked me to lay on the bed with my legs in the air and he went downstairs.

"He said to stay lying there with my legs in the air for forty minutes so none of the sperm could fall out.

"He just seemed to know what he was doing. I trusted him because he reassured me he was a doctor.

"I trusted him as a medical professional, which is why we chose him in the first place."

Raivich slept overnight on the sofa downstairs and asked the couple to ring for a taxi at 5.45am the next morning.

"He gave us both a hug and left. I thought it was a bit strange that he cuddled us, but we trusted him as a doctor."

The complainant's partner wanted to perform the artificial insemination (AI) herself, but Raivich insisted she should do it, the jury were told.

"My partner was uncomfortable with him doing it. She wanted to do the AI, but he insisted it was his job, he knew what he was doing."

Raivich returned two nights later at 11.40pm, despite the woman suggesting he postpone for a week because of the late hour.

"He insisted on coming that day. He didn't speak this time, just said: 'Tea, toast.'

"The dvd player was already set up for it. He called me down because he couldn't hear the volume on the tv.

"When I walked in his trousers were undone, which made me feel uncomfortable and I turned up the tv for him. His button and zip were undone.

"I sort of ran out of the room quite fast back upstairs.

"He came up, my partner went down. This time he stood there staring at me, smiling.

"I was waiting for him  to turn around before I got undressed. He told me not to be shy, that I had nothing to worry about and stood there with a scary smile on his face, glaring at me.

He then lifted up my top and started to grope my boobs. I just froze, he hadn't done it the previous time so I knew it was not right.

"He lifted my t-shirt up and moved my bra away from my breasts. He was just groping my boobs, squeezing them and smiling.

"He was looking at me, just smiling, it was like something out of a horror movie the way he was looking at me.

"I pushed my top down and he continued to smile at me and started to push his fingers inside me, which again I knew was wrong. He hadn't previously done this.

"It was painful and I said: 'Ouch.'

"To me it seemed like forever, but it was a few minutes," added the complainant, who claimed this lasted ten seconds in her statement.

"After he done that he continued to smile at me and forced the speculum inside me.

"He asked me to relax because he was struggling to get it in. He then inserted the sperm again with a pipette.

"He then pushed down on my clitoris, he just smiled at me. I just wanted him to get out of the bedroom, I wanted it to be over, my whole body just froze.

"When I left the room I shouted for my partner. Instinctively she knew something was wrong. I told her not to leave me."

She complained that on the first night Raivich burned her foot when he put a lamp on the bed.

"The second time he was abusing me, grinning, it was scary the way he was looking at me. He didn't speak."

Again Raivich slept on the sofa and two weeks later the woman discovered she was pregnant.

After her partner did some internet research on the defendant she reported him to the police and told the court what she thought of his behaviour. "I assumed to get his own sick kicks out of it."

When cross-examined she denied her evidence was "made up" and told Raivich's QC William Clegg: "I'm not going to appreciate getting groped and sexually assaulted by a man the second time.

"The truth is he's paying you to say this. Do you think this was a nice experience for me? You know nothing, you weren't there.

"It turns out everything he said was a lie. His name's not even Frank. What he' done is wrong and sick."

Prosecutor Mr. Tom Wilkins told the jury: "Each complainant in this case is a woman who met the defendant through an internet forum dedicated to sperm donation.

"He provided a one stop shop for women who wanted semen. All were desperate to have a baby."

His service was informal and did not conform to the guidelines of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and he often used the pseudonym Frank Qualman, the court was told.

"The defendant met these women in order to inseminate them. He took advantage of their desperation, his anonymity and informality by committing various types of sexual assaults upon them," added Mr. Wilkins.

The prosecution accept Raivich is a qualified doctor in Germany, but has always been an academic scientist and has never practiced medicine and is not registered with the General Medical Council.

"On the websites he advertises his services as a sperm donor and represents himself as a: 'Medical doctor based in Central London' providing a service called Intra-Cervical Insemination or ICI.

"He was not the altruistic donor, but someone who is sexually-motivated," Mr. Wilkins told the jury. 

Raivich has pleaded not guilty to assault by digital penetration in relation to another 26 year-old woman; one count of assault by penetration and sexual assault against a Cambridgeshire woman, 31, on November 21, 2012 and two counts of assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault on November 27.

He also denies two counts of sexual assault against the Great Yarmouth woman on January 31, last year and assault by penetration on the same date.

Trial continues……………