Hospital worker ‘tried to undo nurse’s tunic’
A healthcare assistant made ‘suggestive’ comments to a nurse and tried to undo her tunic, a court heard.
Portuguese Armando De Brito, 47, is also accused of repeatedly assaulting a teenage girl at his home.
The married father-of-two denies five counts of sexual assault between 2013 and 2018.
Prosecutor Charles Ward said Dr Brito made it clear that he was sexually attracted to a nurse working on the same ward at a north London hospital in 2013.
‘Particularly when they were alone together, he would put his arm round her, try to kiss her, and would make suggestive comments,’ said Mr Ward.
‘She made it equally clear that she was not interested and that his advances were unwelcome to her.’
They were working a night shift on the ward in the ward manager’s office when De Brito put his hand on her chest and tried to undo the poppers on her tunic, the Old Bailey heard.
‘She pulled away, causing De Brito to stop.’
The prosecutor said several years later, in 2018, De-Brito assaulted a teenage girl at his home on four occasions.
‘He would hug her and touch her, making her feel uncomfortable,’ said Mr Ward.
De Brito approached the girl and hugged her from behind, it was said.
‘He said to her ‘Can I?’, presumably a request for sexual activity, which she declined, making an excuse to get away from him by pouring herself a glass of water,’ said Mr Ward.
The teenager later spoke to her mother and told her what had happened.
On 19 December 2018, police interviewed De Brito and he denied touching her.
During the investigation, police made contact with colleagues at the hospital and spoke to the nurse he allegedly assaulted.
‘He denied ever touching her,’ said the prosecutor.
In a video recording played to court, the nurse said: ‘On night shifts there would only ever be three or two nurses. So if two nurses were busy then often it would just be me and Armando in the office.
‘The office was small and I would sit at the computer typing up case notes. He pulled the chair into the corner and would try to kiss me. I would say no you’re married you have kids what are you doing.
‘He would always pull me into a corner, he would try and put his hands on my chest. There was one occasion where he tried to undo the top popper on my tunic.
‘I took his hand off and was like “no”, but he kept doing it like it was a joke. I was trying to get him off him and said no you’re married what are you doing but he found it quite funny and carried on.
‘Whenever he tried I said no, and I was very clear he shouldn’t be doing what he was doing but he would laugh and nothing would change.
‘It made me feel uncomfortable, I avoided being alone in the office with him, I didn’t want to be on shifts with him…I wasn’t ok with him trying to kiss me at 2am. I’m not that kind of person, I didn’t want it to happen…
‘I was scared that if I was left with him he would try again.’
She said she had to be physical with De Brito to get him off and mimed in her interview how she would push his face away with her palm.
De Brito, of Hertfordshire, denies five counts of sexual assault.
The trial continues.
ends
