A nurse who sexually assaulted a woman after she was admitted to A&E because of a spiked drink has been jailed for seven years.

Ernest Cruz, 38, abused the ‘barely conscious’ victim in a private room at Bournemouth Hospital – going in to see her 12 times over a two-hour period.

The woman, who is aged in her 30s and cannot be named for legal reasons, said she felt powerless against the sexual predator while being unable to walk unaided and drifting in and out of consciousness.

Cruz was working as a triage nurse in the hospital when the victim was brought in after a night out.

The married father-of-three who moved to the UK from the Philippines on an NHS work visa, was not assigned to her care and was said to have no business being in her room as he was not working in the same ward.

CCTV footage showed Cruz go in to see the woman multiple times as he noted observations on her chart under someone else’s name.

Cruz made sure he was alone with the woman before undressing her and carrying out the ‘absolutely abhorrent’ sexual assault – assuming she was too incapacitated to remember it.

The woman said she believed Cruz had looked at her admission notes and thought he could assault her without her knowledge.

However, she was in fact aware of what was happening and made mental notes about Cruz to later use as evidence against him.

Ernest Cruz (pictured), 38, abused the ‘barely conscious’ victim in a private room at Bournemouth Hospital – going in to see her 12 times over a two-hour period

Cruz was working as a triage nurse in the hospital when the victim was brought in to Bournemouth Hospital (pictured/file image) after a night out

She said: ‘He wasn’t meant to be anywhere near that ward but took it on himself to go over there and was writing down the observations under a colleague’s name.

‘I was really out of it, I was in and out of consciousness, but I knew something wasn’t right.

‘I remember him saying “you’re wet, you need to take your jumper off”.

‘Getting spiked it was like being really drunk but so much worse. I was drifting in and out.

‘I think he kept coming in to see if I was awake or not. I remember him being over my body and touching me.

‘I think my body was going into shock, I couldn’t do anything.

‘Every time I came round I was telling myself I need to remember things. I tried to focus on the details – the ring, the tattoo.’

The incident took place on July 29, 2023, but the woman said she had to wait three years to see justice.

Cruz denied the two offences of assault by penetration and sexual assault but was found guilty after a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court and jailed for seven years.

The court heard the Filipino nurse came to the UK on an NHS work visa in 2021 and was a man ‘of good character’ before the case.

He will likely face deportation when he is released from prison.

The victim, who was later diagnosed with PTSD, said: ‘It’s been a very hard and emotional time for me but I want to speak out about what needs to change so it cannot happen to someone else.

‘I feel there should be stronger safeguarding in hospitals for vulnerable patients, particularly around being left alone during intimate care, changing or examinations, and stronger rules around chaperones.

‘I had one phone call from the hospital to apologise but they haven’t provided anything to reassure me it won’t happen again.

‘I had to go into hospital again recently and while on a women’s ward a male member of staff came in on his own and pulled the curtain around another woman and I heard her say “I haven’t got a bra on”. I don’t feel reassured.

‘I don’t think people understand enough how mentally draining the whole process can be – waiting years for a court case, having to relive everything, giving evidence and then trying to carry on afterwards – it has a huge impact.’

The victim added she did not leave her house again ‘for a week’ following the trial, due to the trauma of the abuse. 

She added: ‘I don’t sleep at night, I always have the lights on and check doors constantly.

‘At the sentencing I couldn’t believe he still denied it and his family were there supporting him.

‘I have created a website for victims, a community for support, where people who have been through this can talk to each other. It can all be anonymous with nicknames.

‘I didn’t feel like I had someone I could talk to who could understand. I spoke to a counsellor but I felt like she didn’t understand as she hadn’t been through it.

‘For me I think helping other people will help me get through this.’

The victim said she had set up a project to help other sexual assault victims through the process and provide them support. 

Jailing Cruz, Recorder William Bebb KC said: ‘The likelihood is her drink had been spiked. Her state was such that she was in effect defenceless and very vulnerable. I have no doubt you would have been fully aware of her state when she was admitted. You took advantage of that knowledge.

‘You made sure you were alone without any NHS staff… thinking her state was such that she would have been unconscious of what you were doing.

‘When someone is admitted to hospital they should be confident he or she will be looked after safely, that’s the trust that exists between patient and medical carer. You broke that trust.’

He jailed Cruz for seven years and made a restraining order and sexual harm prevention order.

Bournemouth Hospital said Cruz, a band 5 nurse, was suspended following his arrest, then dismissed and referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

The hospital added it had strengthened its chaperone policy and reviewed patient feedback during Cruz’s employment, with no further concerns raised.