Editor’s note: This article contains a description of an alleged sexual assault.
A medical assistant who worked at Massachusetts General Hospital Back Bay Health Center was found guilty of indecent assault, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office said.
Damien Knighton, 41, of East Boston, was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, Hayden’s office said in a statement released Monday.
On Jan. 18, 2023, at 3:40 p.m. Boston police responded to a call of a sexual assault that occurred inside the MGH Back Bay Health Center facility, according to officials. The victim reportedly told police that he was visiting MGH to see his doctor for a follow-up appointment for his shoulder and leg injuries.
While in an examination room, the victim told police he was approached by a medical assistant — later identified as, Knighton — who said the doctor requested an additional medical test. Before the examination, Knighton asked the victim to remove his clothes and told the victim he would be examining his penis and testicles. Knighton then proceeded to move the victim’s penis side to side, touched his testicles, and asked if blood was rushing to his penis, officials stated.
Knighton then went on to insert his finger into the victim’s rectum. He then asked him to turn around and then repeated the insertion for a second time. The victim then got dressed and asked other hospital staff about the examination, he concluded he was sexually assaulted and notified Boston police.
“These incidents were egregious personal and ethical violations in a place of treatment and trust, and I thank the jury for recognizing them for what they were,” Hayden said in the statement. “I am grateful for the victims who bravely recounted Damien Knighton’s actions, and I thank the prosecutor, victim witness advocate and police investigators for their diligent work in bringing this defendant to justice.”
Knighton is expected to be sentenced at 10 a.m. on March 14.
