Doctor hailed a hero after Britain’s worst-ever train crash is charged with four counts of child rape
- Paul Grout, 65, is alleged to have carried out the offences in Cumbria, in 2020
- The top doctor was hailed a hero of the Selby rail disaster, which killed 10 people
A top doctor once hailed a hero, after proving medical assistance during the UK’s worst ever rail crash, is now set to appear in court after being charged with four counts of child rape.
Paul Grout, 65, is alleged to have carried out the offences in Barrow and Ulverston, in Cumbria, in 2020.
Grout, of Ulverston, is due to appear for a plea hearing at Preston Crown Court on May 24.
He was hailed as a hero of the Selby rail disaster, which killed 10 people and injured 82 others in February 2021.
A train was derailed when it crashed with a car that came down a motorway embankment and was hit by another train travelling in the opposite direction.
Paul Grout, 65, is alleged to have carried out the offences in Barrow and Ulverston, in Cumbria, in 2020 and is due to appear for a plea hearing at Preston Crown Court on May 24
Grout, then a senior consultant at nearby Hull Royal Infirmary, was the first medic to enter the wreckage and was credited with preventing more deaths.
And he later worked as the deputy medical director for the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, but was suspended in 2021.
The General Medical Council also imposed restrictions on his practice pending the outcome of an investigation.
A spokesperson for the public body confirmed that an investigation was ongoing.
Details of the alleged wrongdoing had not been made public until now after he appeared at South Cumbria Magistrates Court.
The train in the Sely disaster was derailed when it crashed with a car that came down a motorway embankment and was hit by another train travelling in the opposite direction
According to the GMC, Mr Grout gave up his licence to practise in September.
Trust bosses said the alleged offences are not related to his work.
Jane McNicholas, chief medical officer of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We are aware that a doctor who previously worked for the Trust has been charged with offences not related to their role at the Trust.
‘The individual left the Trust in early 2021.
‘As there are ongoing criminal proceedings, it is not appropriate for us to comment further at this time, except to say that we will continue to support any relevant investigations.’
