A physiotherapist who sexually assaulted several of his female patients during treatment has been jailed for six years.

Purnoor Bawa, 44, took advantage of the women between 2013 and 2018 at his private practice, Riverview Therapies, in Gravesend.

On each occasion, he persuaded victims to remove items of clothing so he could touch areas of their bodies which didn’t require treatment – including their breasts – insisting it was part of their recovery.

In December 2018, police were called to the business following a report he had carried out an inappropriate massage on a woman during treatment for an ankle injury.

At this time, the 44-year-old was not supposed to be working without a chaperone because his conduct was being investigated by the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service.

The tribunal later banned him from practice in 2019, after he massaged a patient’s bare breasts without her consent.

Following the police investigation, Bawa, also from Gravesend, was arrested and released pending further inquiries.

‘Purnoor Bawa manipulated and groomed his victims, making them think his actions were justified...’

By April 2023, five women had come forward which provided sufficient evidence to charge Bawa.

Following these charges, two further victims came forward to report offences committed against them.

Bawa was convicted of eight counts of sexual assault following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court and was sentenced on Friday, June 14.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Peter Hylands said: ”Purnoor Bawa manipulated and groomed his victims, making them think his actions were justified when in reality he was taking advantage of them for his own depraved ends.

“Each offence was committed in the privacy of Bawa’s treatment room where there were no independent witnesses, CCTV cameras or any other forms of evidence.

“It is therefore almost entirely down to the courage of each victim and their strength in numbers that we were able to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Bawa had sexually assaulted them.

“He has shown that not only is he unfit to practice as a physiotherapist but he is also a danger to women and belongs behind bars.”

The offender moved to the UK from India in 2003 to complete a master’s degree and was employed by various NHS trusts between 2005 and 2018.

He began his own private physiotherapy company with his wife treating people in Gravesend and Dartford, in 2017 after working around Kent for another company since 2012.