A businessman who devised an elaborate plan to facilitate sexual assaults on females has been jailed. Kevin McCarthy, 67, of Linksway, Northwood, assaulted a total of four victims in the Spring of 2019.
He appeared at Wood Green Crown Court yesterday (22 January) where he was sentenced to six and a half years’ imprisonment and ordered to pay £10,000 compensation to each of the four victims, having pleaded guilty to nine offences of assault by penetration at an earlier hearing on 22 June 2020.
McCarthy concocted an intricate ploy to lure the victims into his company, posting a fake job advert on social media asking for “training patients” who were to receive £75 an hour to act as “bodies” in a first aid course for a charity whose employees were due to travel to war-torn countries.
Before applicants could be accepted for the training they were required to take part in a 30-minute initial assessment session with just the trainer to ensure they were comfortable with and suitable for the role given the apparently “intimate” nature of the sessions. That trainer was McCarthy.
He went to significant lengths to make the set up seem plausible, paying a considerable amount of money to hire out a room at a health clinic in EC1 to keep up the façade and avoid suspicion.
On 17 October 2019, police were contacted by a woman who had encountered McCarthy and been suspicious of his intentions. Having responded to the advert she attended the venue and on entering McCarthy’s “consultation room” found it to contain medical implements used in gynaecology. He asked her to fully undress which made the victim uncomfortable, and when she asked to see a medical certificate or even some form of identification, he became visibly uneasy and was unable to provide either.
The woman took this opportunity to leave the room, telling McCarthy that she intended to call the police. She returned a short while later after forgetting some documents, and the building manager had to be summoned to open McCarthy’s office, which had been locked. On entering the room it was apparent that McCarthy had escaped through the window.
McCarthy had given a false name, so officers set about working to identify him.
CCTV footage showed a black Land Rover leaving the scene shortly after the woman had indicated that she would call the police. Officers traced the vehicle to a company which listed McCarthy as a partner.
Further enquiries identified four victims who were all contacted by police. It became evident that McCarthy had committed his offences on Thursday 23 May 2019.
The victims all gave the same account: they had attended McCarthy’s “office” where he had insisted on examining them to get them comfortable with the type of examinations they could expect during the training sessions. During this examination, he subjected them to a serious sexual assault.
On 12 November 2019 McCarthy was arrested and gave a no comment interview. He was charged two days later.
Detective Sergeant Joel Gregory said: “McCarthy targeted young, vulnerable women and took advantage of their trust and need for employment in order to carry out his awful crimes.
“He constructed an elaborate deception in order to fulfil his own sexual fantasies without any regard for the damage he has caused the victims. McCarthy is a thoroughly manipulative individual who has been convicted thanks to the bravery of the victims who have come forward to provide police with their accounts. I have every suspicion that there are further victims out there, and I would urge them to come forward with any further information.”
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of McCarthy is encouraged to come forward via 101, or report online at met.police.uk.
Alternatively, call independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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