A heart specialist who previously worked in Ascot allegedly relied upon the naivety and trust of three patients to sexually assault them, a court has heard.

Dr Sumit Basu, 59, is accused of touching three women ‘under the guise of medical examinations’ over a period of eight years between 2006 and 2014.

It is claimed that Basu, who previously worked four-days-a-week at Heatherwood Hospital, abused his position of trust and sexually assaulted two of the women and asked them about their sex lives.

The first alleged victim was a second-year medical student who complained of rapid heartbeat, palpitations and chest pains, Woolwich Crown Court heard on Friday.

It is claimed Basu then examined her breasts before inappropriately touching her during the first and fourth appointment.

The woman, now 22, who wept giving evidence to jurors behind a screen, reported the allegations to police in March 2016.

Giving evidence, Dr Basu said in his early training he was taught to always expose the body part he was treating, but that the process has been modified. “It has been said a number of times Mr Basu did this and that,” he told jurors. “Medicine is a continuum, you cannot practice it in isolation. I know that specialists would like that. You have to have a feel, you have to be a whole doctor.”

He told the court that it was absolutely necessary to close a curtain when examining patients ‘even if you are just talking’ and that his process with treating female patients has changed.

Dr Basu added: “I was taught to expose the part that you are going to examine completely.” That is my training and that has been modified, I am no longer standing in front of an examiner.”

When examining female patients he said he now tells them to keep their bras on.

Dr Basu told jurors he wanted to be a doctor for as long as he could remember and would listen to peoples’ chests with a toy stethoscope as a child.

He underwent his medical training in Kolkata, India but came to Britain in 1986 to finish with a plan of staying in the country for ‘four or five years’ before returning home, like his father.

He was interviewed for a position at the Lewisham Hospital in 2003 and started working there in February 2004, the court heard.

Before that, he also spent four days a week working at the Heatherwood Hospital while also working at the Royal Brompton Hospital near Uxbridge.

Dr Basu told the jury of six men and six women he felt ‘cautious’ when he started at the Lewisham Hospital but has grown in confidence.

‘I would not call myself gung ho, I am confident,’ he said.

The officer in charge of the investigation, detective sergeant Peter Thompson, told the court he made sure that none of the complainants were aware of each others’ allegations and were never introduced during the course of the investigation.

All three complainants were referred to Basu in his capacity as a consultant when they complained of chest pains.

Basu, of Ringmore Rise, Lewisham, southeast London, denies seven counts of sexual assault and three counts of assault by penetration.

The trial continues.