Married vet jailed after his wife found sickening footage of him sexually assaulting a passed-out female colleague in hotel room is struck off

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A married vet who was jailed after his wife found sickening footage of him sexually assaulting a passed-out female colleague in a hotel room, has been struck off. 

Jamie Rushton filmed and photographed himself assaulting his co-worker after she passed-out in his bed following a boozy night in 2017.

While she was asleep, the 'opportunistic' vet took pictures of her private parts and him touching them at a Surrey hotel. 

But it was not until 2019 that the attack came to light when his wife discovered moving and still images showing Rushton's abuse of the victim on a memory stick.

The woman was tracked down and, although she could not remember what happened, Rushton confessed to the sexual assault. 

He was jailed for 18 months at Wood Green Crown Court in May 2023.

Now, after a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons [RCVS] disciplinary committee, Rushton has been struck off for abusing 'the position of trust and responsibility' he had over his junior colleague.

Jamie Rushton (pictured) confessed to the sexual assault. He was jailed for 18 months at Wood Green Crown Court in May 2023

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons [RCVS] (pictured) disciplinary committee, said Rushton had abused 'the position of trust and responsibility' he had over his junior colleague

The panel heard Rushton and the woman, referred to only as Ms S, were colleagues in a veterinary practice and had attended a conference and dinner together in June 2017.

During the course of the evening she drank 'a significant quantity of alcohol' and woke up the next morning with 'no recollection' of what happened and unaware anything untoward had happened and thought Rushton had offered his bed 'as an act of kindness'.

However, in 2019 a number of both moving and still images were found on Rushton's memory stick.

These included photos of him touching the woman and 'adjusting her body' so he could 'see and feel her genitalia'.

Two years later, Ms S was eventually identified as the woman in the pictures and was left 'very distressed'.

The panel heard in her victim impact statement, she had been left 'suffering' from 'anger, shame and sadness' as a result.

Rushton initially denied committing an offence, but eventually pleaded guilty, just three days before his trial was due to take place.

Rushton (pictured) and the woman, referred to only as Ms S, were colleagues in a veterinary practice and had attended a conference and dinner together in June 2017

At his sentencing in May 2023, he was jailed for 18 months after a judge concluded there had been 'no consensual sexual relationship' as he claimed.

The judge added: 'I do not detect any real remorse in you but that is perhaps in part because I do not really get the impression that you think you have really done anything wrong.

'…it is clear from your evidence that you remain in denial about your offending.

'Your actions were clearly driven by your own sexual desires and have nothing to do with capturing a moment with a person you deeply cared about'.

The judge also pointed out Ms S was 'particularly vulnerable' as she was drunk 'to the point of passing out' and he had 'proceeded to take advantage of the situation'.

Rushton was also made subject to a restraining order, a 10 year sexual harm prevention order as well as being placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

The RCVS panel found Rushton's actions had 'involved an abuse of trust'.

'It was evident from the judge's sentencing remarks that [the victim] had been seriously affected by the knowledge of what had occurred on that evening,' they added.

Rushton was made subject to a restraining order, a 10 year sexual harm prevention order as well as being placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years

'That knowledge was bound, in itself, to be very distressing and according to the victim's impact statement had a long- lasting impact on the victim's self-esteem, resilience and relationship with others.

'The victim's level of distress can only have been increased by the knowledge that he had filmed and/or photographed his activity while she was unconscious and that the images were included on a memory stick which contained a number of other voyeuristic images.

'The Committee was satisfied that his behaviour had caused [the victim] significant psychological injury and carried with it a risk of causing such injury.

'The Committee was also satisfied that [the victim] was especially vulnerable because of the significant quantity of alcohol that she had consumed.

'In the circumstances that evolved, she was in [Rushton's] care - he abused the position of trust and responsibility that he occupied.

'He was a senior colleague, at a professional conference.

'Instead of taking appropriate steps to secure the welfare of [the victim], he used the position in which he found himself to engage in predatory sexual misconduct.

'Furthermore, his behaviour was opportunistic and, as the judge said, 'clearly driven by [his] sexual desires'.'

The panel found the 'only proportionate outcome' was that he be struck off.

'This sanction is necessary to declare and uphold appropriate standards of conduct for members of the veterinary profession and to maintain public confidence in the profession,' they added.