Guilty: Hospital Visitor Convicted Of Smooching With Mentally Disabled Young Woman

An investigative journalist, convicted of taking sexual advantage of a mentally disabled young woman on a hospital ward, will be sentenced in the new year.

Anthony Moncrieffe, 67, of Buckland Hill, Maidstone, was seen and heard by hospital staff smooching with the woman and on one occasion put his hand between her legs.

He was found guilty of five counts of sexual activity with a mentally disabled person between between September 27 and November 15, 2012 at the Royal Brompton Hospital, Chelsea.

Four counts relate to kissing the Dover woman on the lips and the fifth alleges Moncrieffe, a veteran of the Daily Mirror; Sunday People; Press Association and Reuters, put his hand beneath her underwear.

He was the subject of a separate police probe in November 2011 when a bag belonging to him, which contained an escort profile, details of his website, his press card and viagra was found, apparent evidence of the defendant passing himself off as a sex consultant.

"I don't think I'd be a sex worker, look at me," Moncrieffe told the Isleworth Crown Court jury, insisting he had invented a persona so he could investigate the Tender Loving Care Trust, but abandoned the project after two weeks.

"I wanted to infiltrate the organisation because I suspected disabled people were being exploited and my job is to bring that out into the public domain.

"A condition of TLC is that you have your own website giving more information on yourself, including more pictures in evening wear and swimwear. 

"It seems they are a bone fide organisation, legal. There was no story there."

Different members of hospital staff have given evidence against the father-of-four, who regularly visited the woman, and the first said he lifted her oxygen mask and kissed her on the lips.

Moncrieffe explained: "It was an adult-sized mask and she's got a very little face and the mask kept slipping down. I pushed it back onto the bridge of her nose and tightened it.

"She is always smiling and I said: 'Good girl,' and kissed her on the tip of her nose."

The second witness claims seeing Moncrieffe with the oxygen mask in his hand and suspecting him of kissing the woman, but admits their view was not clear.

"What would I want to kiss a little girl on the lips for?," asked the defendant. "Particularly a sick little girl."

A third witness says he was lying on the hospital bed, beside the woman, when he leaned over, lifted the oxygen mask and kissed her.

A fourth claim they heard the sound of kisses coming from Moncrieffe and the woman and he was arrested the day another member of staff says he was touching her between the legs.

"We were holding hands and our hands were resting on her lap," he told the jury. We always held hands, a child likes security.

"The next thing I knew two uniformed security guards arrived."

Moncrieffe was bailed for a pre-sentence report and will return on January 23.