The doctors worked at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham

by Keith Hunt

A hospital doctor has been cleared of raping a nurse after he and a colleague spent the evening socialising with her.

Alex Oghorodi and fellow doctor Otamere Uwubanmwen were alleged to have "pushed and pulled" the woman into a bedroom.

The woman claimed Dr Oghorodi, 40, raped her and 44-year-old Dr Uwubanmwen, known as Patrick, later sexually assaulted her.

Dr Oghorodi, of Commissioners Court, New Stairs, Chatham, denied rape and Dr Uwubanmwen, of Henrietta Chase, St Mary’s Island, Gillingham, denied sexual assault. They both also denied assault by beating.

A jury of eight women and four men took less than 30 minutes to acquit them.

Both doctors have been suspended from Medway Maritime Hospital. Dr Oghorodi was a GP in accident and emergency and Dr Uwubanmwen a consultant paediatrician surgeon.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the nurse previously met Dr Oghorodi while working at a hospital in Essex. He took her out to dinner and they had consensual sex.

They met up again in December 2011 and went clubbing with Dr Uwubanmwen, who she did not know, and drank champagne.

The trio went to Dr Uwubanmwen's flat in Dr Oghorodi's BMW car in the early hours. The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said she was planning to get up early and lay on a sofa to sleep.

But she claimed Dr Oghorodi pulled her and Dr Uwubanmwen pushed her into a bedroom. Dr Uwubanmwen left the room, she said, and Dr Oghorodi straddled her and stripped her.

He then stripped, she continued, and, using a condom, had sex with her against her will for 20-25 minutes.

Afterwards she fell asleep, she said, and was awoken later by a naked Dr Uwubanmwen running his hand up her body.

Dr Oghorodi denied having sex at all with the woman and claimed the made up the rape accusation out of bitterness.

Dr Uwubanmwen, who was at first accused of rape, denied "manhandling" the nurse. He said he slept on the sofa while Dr Oghorodi and the woman went to his bedroom.

When he awoke, he said, he thought his friend and the woman had left and went to his bed to sleep. He was "shocked and horrified" when he realised she was still in the bed and fled from the room.

Judge Philip Statman said after the verdicts that Dr Oghorodi denied being in the bedroom and asked prosecutor Nicholas Alexander why the sheets were not "scientifically evaluated".

Mr Alexander replied that the view was taken that if there was any DNA forensic evidence linked to the sheets it could have been attributable to contact earlier in the evening.

"As a result, no doubt for costs reasons, it would not be of evidential significance," he added.