A DOCTOR sexually assaulted one of his patients during a routine checkup, a court has heard.

Dr Molefi Nteta is accused of rubbing his genitals on the woman while groping her breasts during the medical consultation at Spire Cheshire Hospital.

The 56-year-old denies three counts of sexual assault and is currently on trial at Chester Crown Court.

On Monday, June 11, the court heard that Dr Nteta sexually assaulted his patient during a routine checkup at the Stretton hospital in August 2016.

Dr Nteta, from Altrincham, is accused of rubbing his penis against one of the woman’s hands while he felt her naked breasts.

She had been expecting to receive a breast examination, but felt that Dr Nteta was ‘massaging’ them rather than checking for lumps.

When the patient moved her hand away, he is then alleged to have continued to rub his genitals from side to side on her hip.

He then made 'flirtatious' comments about the woman’s tattoos, leaving her feeling ‘extremely uncomfortable’.

The woman was able to ‘hold herself together’ until she had left the hospital, on Fir Tree Close, at which point she ‘tearfully’ told a work colleague what had happened.

Prosecution barrister Owen Edwards said: “Dr Nteta breached all of his medical ethics for a quick thrill which he though he could get away with, but this woman was not willing to let the incident lie.

“This was clearly a sexual act.”

South Africa-born Dr Nteta showed no emotion as a video of the complainant being interviewed by the police was played in court.

In the interview, she said: “I felt as though I could be comfortable in the presence of a doctor because there is an element of trust.

"It made me feel sick, and I knew what he was doing.

"He called me 'darling' and it made my skin crawl.

“I just froze, and thought that I needed to leave the room."

The court heard that Spire Cheshire Hospital had launched an investigation ‘immediately’ after receiving a complaint against Dr Nteta.

Hospital director Andrew Johnson said: “At Spire Cheshire Hospital, our top priority is the welfare and safety of our patients and staff.

“We take this responsibility very seriously and set extremely high and robust standards across every aspect of our business - we act quickly if we suspect these standards have not been met.

“As this is a criminal investigation, we are unable to comment further.”

The trial continues.