A doctor, Nathaniel Spencer, 38, of Quinton, Birmingham, has been charged with sexually assaulting 38 patients while working at major hospitals in the West Midlands, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

PUNCH Online retrieved this from the Staffordshire Police website on Saturday.

The release dated Friday read, “Former practicing doctor Nathaniel John Spencer, 38, of Quinton, Birmingham, who is British, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration, nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, three counts of assault a child under 13 by penetration and one count of attempted assault by penetration.

“It follows a complex investigation by our Public Protection Unit into sexual offences at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Russells Hall Hospital, in Dudley.

“He is due to appear at the North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 20 January 2026.”

The alleged offences took place between 2017 and 2021 at Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent and Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, the CPS confirmed.

The BBC asked whether multiple children were involved, but both the CPS and Staffordshire Police said they could not 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 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.

He was a former resident doctor, previously known as a junior doctor, at the University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust from August 2017 to August 2020. He later worked as a resident doctor at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust from August 2020 to April 2021.

Both trusts have established dedicated helplines for anyone with concerns about the care they 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 closely with the police throughout the investigations.

UHNM added: “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 confirmed that it had taken action to prevent Mr Spencer from practising while investigating his fitness to practise.

“Its investigation would continue once criminal proceedings had concluded,” the GMC said, adding that Mr Spencer remained suspended until that time. (PUNCH)

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