A 'creepy middle-aged' doctor performed 'completely bogus' medical procedures on two female patients less than half his age in order to sexually assault them, a court has heard.

Dr Satendra Sharma, 50, abused the 'naivety' and 'trust' that his 18 and 19 year old patients had to 'grope and violate' them, jurors have been told.

The trainee GP ordered one to sit on his lap before giving her a facial massage then groped her breasts when she visited his surgery complaining of headaches and chest pain.

Dr Sharma tried to start a romantic relationship with the young woman, inviting her for coffee and to meet 'somewhere private' so he could massage her.

When one of the young women was admitted to hospital with a suspected allergic reaction, Dr Sharma allegedly 'molested her' during an 'unneeded procedure'.

He also gave the woman 'lingering hugs' and 'sniffed' as he embraced her, it was heard.

Dr Sharma is accused of sexually assaulting the women while he was a GP specialist Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, and a trainee GP at Whiteley Surgery.

At Portsmouth Crown Court, he denies four sex assault charges.

Prosecutor Tom Wright KC said: "Two young women totally unconnected to each other both allege that he molested them under the pretence of giving them medical examinations.

"He groped the breasts of [one woman] and penetrated the vagina of [the other woman] in completely bogus and unneeded procedures."

Mr Wright said the 19 year old visited Dr Sharma at Whiteley Surgery three times in March and April of 2022 suffering from headaches and chest and abdomen pain.

Dr Sharma, then a trainee GP who was alone with the woman for the consultations, performed some appropriate procedures but during all three occasions he groped her breasts.

Mr Wright also said Dr Sharma performed a 'face massage' on the woman, then "got her to turn around and got her to edge back so she was sitting on his lap and got his hand under bra and was massaging her breasts".

He asked 'does this hurt?' while groping her breasts, it was heard.

In their third consultation, Dr Sharma asked her to sit on his lap face-to-face during a face massage. "She crouched awkwardly to avoid being in a precarious position on a creepy middle-aged doctor", Mr Wright said.

He said: "Dr Sharma took advantage of her naivety and trust for her doctor. A fairly insecure young woman."

Mr Wright said the woman eventually grew suspicious.

He said: "In the cold light of day, in hindsight, she came to see he was manipulative and grooming her."

The court heard Dr Sharma sexually assaulted the 18 year old woman at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth in June 2021 while he was working as a GP specialist on a ward.

The young woman was admitted to hospital with a suspected allergic reaction, however it was later linked to anxiety.

The woman said Dr Sharma acted differently when he was alone with her compared to when other staff were around.

He 'took her hand and hugged her' and used language 'you might expect from a caring father', it was heard.

The woman alleges he visited her three times and molested her, the court heard.

"She was young and trusted Dr Sharma", Mr Wright said.

It was heard the incidents 'played on the mind' for the 18 year old and she eventually reported him in May 2022, nearly a year later.

The doctor had been reported to the police around the same time by the 19 year old who allegedly had her breasts groped.

It was heard the 19 year old's father 'confronted' the doctor at his surgery and that Dr Sharma made a 'strange' offer that his daughter could 'come up and hit me'.

Concluding his opening statement, Mr Wright said: "Perhaps it was no accident that these women were both young and had anxiety.

"Perhaps he was thinking if either of these women say anything I'll just pass them off as neurotic.

"The defendant denies that he sexually assaulted these two women because he says the touching just didn't happen.

"The prosecution's case is that they did not and Dr Sharma is lying about what he did to these two young women.

"They did not consent to be groped and violated by a doctor they trusted."

Dr Sharma, from Southampton, denies three counts of sex assault relating to the breast gropes on one patient and one count of sexual assault by penetration relating to the other.

The week-long trial continues.