Accused dentist 'indecent towards nurses'

A dentist asked three dental nurses if they shaved their pubic hair and he had sex with a fourth at his surgery, a disciplinary tribunal has heard.

He groped two of the women and on one occasion pulled down his trousers in front of a nurse to reveal a leopard-print thong saying: “Get a load of that.”

Anthony Barton is accused of subjecting four nurses to unprofessional, inappropriate and indecent conduct at the Red Rose Dental Group in Wigan over the last nine years.

One nurse told the General Dental Council, sitting in west London, that the dentist cornered her in a car park after hours and asked her if she wanted “a bit of fun”.

She said he would regularly grab her bottom if she was walking upstairs in front of him and on one occasion pushed her breast with one finger and asked “are they real?”.

She said that it made her feel uncomfortable but added: “I found it hard to know how I should react to my boss behaving inappropriately and as a result I just tolerated it.”

Another nurse has claimed that Mr Barton massaged her leg, stroked her bottom and touched her between her legs as they were working together.

He is also accused of showing her pictures of naked women and asking her what knickers she was wearing.

The council also heard that Mr Barton had a consensual affair with one of the nurses and “on one or more occasions” had oral sex and sexual intercourse on the practice's premises during surgery hours or shortly thereafter.

Partners at the Red Rose Practice said they were shocked when the nurses claims came to light.

One, Richard McCormick, told the council: “Mr Barton failed to appreciate the gravity of the situation and seemed more concerned about the financial affects on himself than the impact on the girls.”

The partners investigated the initial complaint from a nurse. It was only during these investigations that the other allegations including news of the affair came to light.

He was asked not to come into work and after being informed of the partners' intention to eject him from the partnership he resigned with a pay-off of £28,000.

* From The Belfast Telegraph