Doctor charged with sex assaults of 38 patients

A doctor has been charged with sexually assaulting 38 patients while working at major hospitals in the West Midlands, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.

Nathaniel Spencer, 38, of Quinton, Birmingham, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration and nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

Mr Spencer also faces three counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration, and one count of attempting to assault by penetration.

The charges relate to alleged offences against 38 patients at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent, and Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, between 2017 and 2021, the CPS said.

The BBC has asked whether multiple children were involved, but the CPS and Staffordshire Police said they were not able to provide further details.

Mr Spencer is due to appear at the North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 20 January 2026.

The CPS said the decision to prosecute had followed a “detailed and complex investigation by Staffordshire Police”.

Mr Spencer has been suspended from medical practice in the UK pending the outcome of the investigation.

‘Very distressing’

He was a former resident doctor, previously known as junior doctor, who worked at the University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust between August 2017 and August 2020.

Mr Spencer later worked as a resident doctor on a placement at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust from August 2020 to April 2021.

Both trusts have set up dedicated helplines for those with concerns or questions about the care they had received.

Dr Paul Hudson, the Dudley Group’s operational medical director, said: “We understand that many of our patients, staff, and people in the wider community will find this news very distressing.”

The trust said it had been working with the police throughout the investigations.

UHNM said: “As this is an ongoing criminal process, we cannot comment further at this time but we would like to reassure the public that the safety and well-being of our patients and their relatives are our highest priority.”

The General Medical Council said it had taken action to prevent Mr Spencer from practising while it investigated his fitness to practise.

Its investigation would continue once criminal proceedings had concluded, it said and Mr Spencer remained suspended until that time.