A nurse who raped a vulnerable colleague after threatening her with a sack if she did not perform sexual acts has been in prison for almost eight years.
Naijil Paul also sexually assaulted two other young women while working as a care home manager in North Lanarkshire.
He was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow to seven years and nine months in prison, after being extradited back to Scotland from India for trial.
Paul admitted the crimes in a hearing in October, but the Court heard that despite his guilty pleas he had shown “quite a degree of victim blaming” in a pre-sentence report – to the point where he claimed he thought he was doing a favor to one of the women.
The Court heard that the 47-year-old man ordered the rape victim to “do what I want” or said she would face the sack.
The 26-year-old victim had returned from sick leave in April 2018, and had told an older colleague that her debt was a significant factor in her return.
A week later, Paul entered the woman’s office while she was alone and closed the door.
He told her she was at risk of losing her job because of the amount of time she had off. He said he was aware of her financial problems and that she could be evicted from her home with her children.
He told her to “do what I want” and referred to sexual intercourse and then stated that her job would be safe if she did it. He added that if she refuses, it will be her fault her children will be homeless.
After raping her, he told her not to tell anyone because “no one will believe you and your job will not be safe”.
The woman burst into tears and ran away.
She went back on sick leave and didn’t tell anyone what happened until the police investigated Paul’s offence.
Attacks on other colleagues
The hearing was told about a 19-year-old care assistant whom Paul tried to kiss, after putting his hands on her hips.
He said to the woman: “I know you want this.”
Two weeks later, Paul moved her hand to an intimate area of his body, while on another occasion he grabbed the waistband of her trousers and said he wanted to see what color underwear she had on.
Paul also asked a 21-year-old care assistant if she was serious about her boyfriend.
He put his hand on her shoulder and waist then said: “I know you want it. I can tell by your body language.”
On another occasion, Paul tried to kiss her before he was kicked out. Later that day, he then molested the woman.
She told another colleague that she was afraid she would lose her job if she complained.
Paul will be supervised for another two years when he is released.
He will also be on the sex offenders list for life and is banned from going near any of the victims.
He fled to India
Paul was supposed to go on trial in 2019, but he did not appear and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
He fled to Kochi in India, where he claimed his father was ill, before being arrested in February this year and extradited from Delhi to Scotland.
He admitted charges of rape and two counts of sexual assault and the sentence was reduced by eight years due to the guilty plea.
However Lord Renucci pointed out to Paul’s KC Edith Forrest about comments he made in a pre-sentence report.
The Judge said that he is concerned with the victim blaming in his comments and that although he has been assessed as a medium risk of re-offending, Lord Renucci believes that he “very much underestimates his level of risk”.
The judge told Paul that he was in a position of power before he committed crimes that were planned and deliberate.
He added: “Apart from the serious and predatory nature of your offence, despite the fact that you pleaded guilty, the version of events given by you bears little resemblance to what you admitted to.”
The Judge said that this even went so far as to describe the rape as a “sexual encounter” that was “consensual”.