‘Bullying’ male midwife alleged to have taken pictures of two women having Caesarean sections

A ‘bullying’ male midwife who is alleged to have taken pictures of two women having Caesarean sections without their permission and ‘filmed himself performing a sex act in a hospital toilet’ is facing 29 misconduct charges.  

Paul Johnson was a senior midwife at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, where he had worked for 18 years, and had helped to deliver more than 2,000 babies when he was suspended from his role in October 2020. 

He is subject of a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing in which he is accused of 29 counts of misconduct, including allegations he told a colleague she had a ‘gorgeous figure’ and would bring ‘some glamour and youth to the team’ in August 2019. 

Mr Johnson, one of only 50 male midwives across the country in 2018, is alleged to have taken photographs of two women during a Caesarean section without their permission, before sending the images to a colleague he was in a relationship with at the time.  

Barrister Raj Joshi told the panel that an investigation into Mr Johnson had found he filmed a video of himself performing a sex act in a hospital toilet before sending it to a colleague.

He added: ‘It was said that he was in a gymnasium in Florida, work rotas show not only was he on duty but the background related closely to the hospital site.’

The midwife is also alleged to have ‘behaved in a bullying or intimidating manner’ towards a colleague when an investigation into his conduct began. 

He is accused of attending the co-worker’s address unannounced, driving past her home and contacting her via email and social media.

One email, on January 31, 2020, said: ‘I’m guessing that you have thrown me to the lions.’ 

Mr Johnson is also accused of asking another co-worker what her favourite sexual position was and whether her husband had ever ‘drank her breast milk’.

The charges allege he created ‘an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment’ for the colleague.

Paul Johnson was a senior midwife at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and had helped to deliver more than 2,000 babies before he was suspended from his role in October 2020

Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, where Mr Johnson was a senior member of staff with responsibility for managing and coordinating the maternity ward 

The midwife was a senior member of staff within and had responsibility for managing and coordinating the maternity ward.

During the hearing on Monday, expected to last four days, misconduct panel chair Derek McFaul said the charges also included poor management and decision making shown ‘by making excuses not to transfer patients to the labour ward’.

Mr Joshi told the panel that Mr Johnson was jokingly referred to as the ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’ due to his habit of disappearing while on shift without telling colleagues where he had gone.

It is alleged that, during one such absence, he told a colleague he was moving his car, but subsequently messaged the co-worker he was in a relationship with that he had gone to an adult shop.

Mr Joshi said: ‘He was in a senior managerial position, junior staff in particular found that it would be very difficult for them to challenge his behaviour and the comments he was making.

‘He had a habit of confronting peers in an aggressive or bullying manner.’ 

Mr Johnson did not attend the hearing on Monday.   

Source: Daily Mail