Man who sexually assaulted an elderly woman at hospital jailed
A man who sexually assaulted an elderly patient at Liverpool’s Royal Hospital just a couple of months after he had assaulted another woman has been jailed for three years.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that Carl Burger, 55, of Fenwick Street in Liverpool, assaulted the elderly woman when she was in the accident and emergency unit at the Royal Liverpool Hospital in August 2022.
The 81-year-old woman was in a cubicle at the hospital, awaiting further treatment by staff. Burger entered the cubicle and pretended he was a doctor. He then sexually assaulted her.
A nurse entered the cubicle and challenged him. He tried to leave but was detained by the nurse with assistance from colleagues and security until police attended and arrested him. He was later charged with sexual assault.
In June, a couple of months before this attack, Burger had assaulted a woman in her own home in Liverpool in the early hours of the morning. The victim had been asleep and woke to realise she was being assaulted. She raised the alarm and he was told to leave. A report was immediately made to police who attended and took statements. He was later charged with sexual assault.
On 21 September 2022, at Liverpool Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to both offences. Today, 21 October 2022, he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. A restraining order was imposed and he was placed on the sex offenders register for life.
The Victim Personal Statements of both women were read to the court and showed the devastating impact such offences have on victims and their families.
The elderly victim said: “I am in the later stages of my life, a period where I should be carefree and just be able to enjoy being with my family. Since this incident however I am more vulnerable than ever. I feel I have lost my spark and my family would also share those concerns. I appear like I have just given up, defeated and my family say they have lost the nan they know and love. The male’s actions have not only had a profound effect on me, but also my family. They fear the worst, and we hope that no other person has to suffer at the hands of this terrible male. I cannot believe someone would do something so awful to a vulnerable person in need, and hope this male is punished for what he has done.”
In her Victim Personal Statement, the younger victim said: “I worry about him ever turning up at my address and worry that I will come across him again. The incident has made me feel incredibly conscious and worried about everything, at night I want every door to be locked and checked as I worry that someone will creep into the house and do something to me.”
Senior Crown Prosecutor Chris Fontaine, a specialist prosecutor in CPS Mersey-Cheshire’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) unit, said: “Burger is a serial sex offender who preyed on women in a despicable manner.
"We would like to thank the victims, their families and the staff at the Royal Liverpool Hospital for immediately reporting these offences to the police and stopping this offending behaviour before it escalated further. It is because of their actions, their evidence and their support that Merseyside Police and the Crown Prosecution Service were able to build a strong case and bring this man to justice in a timely manner.”