Texas Doctor Who Raped Sedated Patient Will Serve No Jail Time
A former Texas doc convicted of sexually assaulting a heavily sedated patient got off with what many are considering to be an unfairly light sentence.
Dr. Shafeeq Sheikh was accused a raping a patient during the night shift while a resident at Ben Taub Hospital in 2013. The patient was admitted and being treated for an acute asthma attack, and Sheikh was not her assigned doctor. Sheikh admitted to being attracted to the woman and entered her room. Sheikh claims the patient was the one to instigate contact by taking his hand and placing it on her breasts. According to Sheikh, when he entered her room again later that night, she grabbed his crotch and indicated she wanted to have sex.
The patient, who was sedated for most of the night, reported a rape by an unknown doctor the same day. A rape kit was performed on the patient and cheek swabs were taken of all male employees present that night, ultimately finding a match to Sheikh. Sheikh was finally charged in 2015, at which point his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Sheikh's attorney's asked the jury to show mercy on him in passing sentence, saying Sheikh's family had already suffered greatly and he had been punishing himself since. The jury of five women and seven men deliberated for two days, settling on 10 years probation for Sheikh, who will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.