A pervert posed as a doctor in order to sexually assault a hospital patient in her 80s.
The grandma was asleep in her cubicle in the A&E department of the Royal Liverpool Hospital when Carl Burger targeted her, falsely telling her he was a medical professional who was performing an examination. It came just over two months after he had groped another victim as she slept.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Friday, that the latter incident occurred on June 8 this year. Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, outlined how the severely disabled woman was asleep on her sofa and woke to find Burger groping her left breast underneath her pyjama top.
READ MORE: School teacher kicked ex's partner so hard he lost his eyesight
She called him a "pervert", with the drunken defendant then described as acting confused. The assault was reported to the police, but the 55-year-old was subsequently released on bail.
In a statement which was read out to the court on her behalf, the complainant said: "Since the incident, I have felt violated due to what he did to me. I worry about him turning up at my address and that I will come across him again.
"I want every door to be locked, as I worry someone will creep into the house and do something to me. It makes me feel sick that he has done this to another person as well as me, and I hope he gets what he deserves."
The sleeping hospital patient was similarly woken by Burger during this incident on August 18. He told the pensioner "not to worry, he was a doctor" and claimed that he was going to perform a check on her heart.
Instead, he lifted up her dressing gown and sexually assaulted her. Burger, of Fenwick Street in Liverpool city centre, asked her "if what he was doing was nice" and "if she liked it".
The attack lasted a "couple of minutes" before he was interrupted by a nurse, who initially thought he was a relative. The sex offender, who was "intoxicated and stumbling" and had a "bag with clattering ale cans inside", then left and returned to his own cubicle - having attended for treatment to a bump on his head.
In her statement, the nan said: "Before the incident I was a happy, outgoing person. However, all this changed.
"He deceived me, saying he was a doctor then touching me inappropriately. It makes me feel physically sick to think about it."
The OAP said she has been required to return to the hospital since and felt "petrified" while there. She added: "I don't know if I can return again in the future if I do need more medical care.
"I am in the later stages of my life, and I should be carefree. However, since the incident I am more vulnerable than ever and I feel I have lost my spark.
"My family have lost the nan they know and love. I hope no-one else has to suffer at the hands of this terrible male."
Burger, who appeared via video link to HMP Altcourse, has 37 previous convictions for 75 offences. He has no sexual matters on his matters, and was last before the courts in 2014.
Andrew McInnes, defending, said on his behalf: "He is remorseful and apologises to the victims and their families wholeheartedly. He has a significant record over many years, but nothing of a similar nature and nothing at all for eight years.
"His last period in custody was long ago, in 2007. He managed to wean himself off drugs and stayed out of trouble for a significant period of time.
"The defendant has found it difficult to explain how he had committed not one, but two offences of this nature. In March this year, he suffered significant trauma when his daughter, aged 35, was killed in a road traffic accident.
"He certainly accepts that led to alcohol intake and these offences. The offences were mercifully short-lived and seemingly opportunistic.
"Nevertheless, the defendant realises the court will treat extremely seriously what has happened to these two ladies. It is clear when alcohol and drug free, he can stay out of trouble - he tells me he is motivated to avoid being in this position again."
Burger admitted two counts of sexual assault. He was jailed for three years.
Sentencing, Recorder Eric Lamb said: "The result of what you did to these two complainants has been, for them, devastating. You did that to them."
Burger was also handed a restraining order and a notification requirement, and must pay a victim surcharge. A Merseyside Police spokesman said following his sentencing: "Anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence can call officers in the force’s Unity Team on 0151 777 1382 or 101.
"Information can also be passed to Crimestoppers, anonymously and free, on 0800 555 111. Support for victims is also available through the registered charity the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre Cheshire and Merseyside, who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063, or Rape and Sexual Assault Merseyside on 0151 558 1801.
"Merseyside Police, alongside three other forces, has also been part of a pilot project for a new service to report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences online – with the option to report anonymously. The new online rape and sexual assault reporting service is now live on the website."
READ NEXT: ‘Macca line’ drug supply busted in undercover operation
Man 'put people's lives at risk' after setting Audi A4 on fire
Paedophile battered his girlfriend three days after being released from prison
Delivery driver hits robber over head with plank of wood after raid on pharmacy
Teen warned 'watch what happens now' after attacking man with bike seat
