EAST HARLEM — The Mount Sinai Hospital doctor convicted of sex abuse for ejaculating on a female patient and fondling others has been sentenced to two years in prison and three years probation, according to officials.
Dr. David Newman, the former Director of Clinical Research of the hospital's emergency department, was sentenced on Jan. 23 after pleading guilty to one count of sexual abuse in the first degree and four counts of sexual abuse in the third degree.
From August 2015 to January 2016, Newman preyed on four women between the ages of 19 and 29 who came to the emergency room at 1468 Madison Ave. for minor illnesses, according to court documents.
One of the victims, a 29-year-old woman, said she was told to change out of her clothes and into a hospital gown in order for an X-ray to be taken. But after the X-ray, Newman gave her a shot of morphine even though she had already been given one, records show.
While she was groggy, Newman began to fondle her chest, then masturbated over her, wiping her with a blanket afterward.
Assistant District Attorney Eun-Han Kim said that the extra morphine he gave the patient was undocumented on her medical chart and is "an absolute violation of hospital protocol," which requires that nurses, not doctors, administer medication.
At the sentencing, Newman, 46, apologized to victims, saying "What I did was awful and disgusting, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry to everyone involved. I'm sorry to physicians everywhere and patients everywhere," according to the New York Times.
In court, the victim said she didn't believe the doctor was really remorseful, according to the Times.
"I want to get away from the disgust I feel whenever I think about you assaulting me — the feeling of being worthless, the embarrassment. I believe you’re only sorry because you got caught,” she said.
