Tuesday 20 September 2016

Hospital Supervisor Denies Groping Female Cleaners

A cleaning supervisor at Orpington Hospital groped female members of staff, threatening them with the sack or a cut in hours if they complained, a court heard today.

Abdel Majid Rabti, 47, is accused of slapping the backsides and groping the breasts and thighs of domestic staff he believed would never report him, the Croydon Crown Court jury were told.

The first cleaner, who cannot be identified, told the court: “He slid his hand down my breast and when I shouted at him he went white.

“He’d grab my hand and pull it towards his penis area and I’d pull it away,” she added. “That happened quite a lot, all the time for years.”

Rabti, of Gumping Road, Orpington claims the three women have invented the allegations to “get rid of him”.

He has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting each woman twice and assaulting one of them once at the hospital, which is also known as Princess Royal University Hospital and is located near Farnborough. 

Prosecutor Mr. Deepak Kapur said: “This defendant touched each of the complainants. The touching was sexual and none of the complainants consented.

“It was totally unwarranted conduct toward these individuals.

“He abused his position in a supervisory capacity. He was robust in his view and thought they would not report him.

“Any suggestion they would was repressed by him intimidating them through hours of work or their jobs and it did remain unreported for some time.”

The earliest incident, in September, 2014, involved the first cleaner. “He grabbed her hand and tried to get her to touch his penis.

“She resisted and he tried to pass it off as a joke.”

The jury were told Rabti struck again on January 30, last year when the woman was working in the rehab department.

“He put his hand to her chest, slid down to her breast and squeezed.”

A second cleaner also came forward. “She said on two occasions he smashed, stroked, fondled her buttocks.

“The first time she was leaning over a cleaning table and he laughed it off.

“The second time he did the same when she walked past him, he slapped her bum again and laughed it off, but this time threatened her with the sack.”

Rabbit is also charged with assaulting this woman. “He even threatened to attack her,” explained Mr. Kapur.

“He started picking on her, became annoyed and threatened to sack her and raised his hand is if to hit her and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.

“He told her to shut up or he would smash her head against a wall and held his throat in a threatening manner.”

Regarding the third cleaner Mr. Kapur added: “She was by the sink washing up and the defendant pressed his body against her, pushed his groin against her backside and moved side to side.

“Another time he ran his hand up her leg, up her skirt to the top of her leg.”

Trial continues…………. 

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