Doctor guilty of punching vulnerable patient

A doctor has been found guilty of ill-treating a vulnerable patient at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in August 2021.

Locum doctor, Xowi Mwimbi, 68, punched the patient to the side of the head and pushed his head into a pillow on 26 August.

The patient, who had dementia and limited motor functions, had a care plan in place for his complex needs which included an instruction not to get too close to him as it caused him distress. Staff present also advised Dr Mwimbi to stand back, but he ignored them.

When Dr Mwimbi approached the patient, the patient made a racial comment, as he was known to do as part of his complex conditions, and told Dr Mwimbi to leave the room.

Dr Mwimbi failed to listen, causing the patient to react by swinging his arm towards him making scarce contact. Dr Mwimbi in turn reacted by punching the patient to the left temple and pressing his head into the pillow.

Care staff who were present quickly intervened and reported the assault.

In police interview, Dr Mwimbi said the patient had hit him and racially abused him so he had acted in self-defence. He was 'surprised and shocked to hear the care staff present were telling stories about him and that it is all a figment of their imagination'.

The CPS presented evidence to the court that the incident would not have arisen if Dr Mwimbi had followed the care plan and that the patient scarcely made contact with the doctor due to his lack of mobility.

Following a trial at Preston Crown Court, the jury concluded that the doctor was not acting in self-defence and found him guilty of ill-treatment by a care worker.

Sazeeda Ismail, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West said: “Dr Xowi Mwimbi demonstrated a gross breach of his duty of care when, in anger, he used excessive force against an extremely vulnerable man.

“His actions traumatised those who witnessed the incident. I would like to thank those witnesses for their quick action in intervening and reporting what they had seen.

“It is thanks to them that we have been able to bring Dr Mwimbi to justice for his despicable actions.”