In 2024, the Offender Database recorded that 35-year-old Sunil Mushtaq was struck off the nursing register and handed a suspended sentence for sexually assaulting a patient. Mushtaq—of Upcot Crescent, Taunton, Somerset—was working as a nurse at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital when he targeted a vulnerable woman in her cubicle. It was reported that the defendant entered and exited the cubicle multiple times, rubbing himself against the patient’s hand and arm before forcibly using her hand to stimulate himself to climax.
The investigation established that CCTV footage captured Mushtaq emerging from behind the curtain for the final time while looking down at his crotch. Devon and Cornwall Police reported that although Mushtaq initially denied any wrongdoing during two separate police interviews, he was definitively implicated by a DNA match found on the patient’s dressing gown. The prosecution reported that only after being presented with this incontrovertible forensic evidence did the defendant finally admit his guilt.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Mushtaq had shown no remorse for the “depraved” attack, with his defence citing his heritage and background as a reason for his lack of contrition. Exeter Crown Court heard that at the time of his sentencing, the former nurse had found new employment working in a chip shop. The investigation established that while the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) ruled he had brought the profession into disrepute and struck him from the register, the criminal court opted for a more lenient disposal.
Judge-led proceedings concluded with Mushtaq receiving a suspended prison sentence, as the judge claimed the assault was out of character and that immediate custody would have negative consequences for his family. For his actions in Exeter, Mushtaq was convicted of sexual assault but avoided a jail cell. The judge noted the seriousness of the breach of trust but maintained that a suspended term was appropriate despite the predatory nature of the forensic and CCTV evidence.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in Devon, the status of Sunil Mushtaq as of April 3, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: SUSPENDED SENTENCE 2024 (Operational period ongoing).
- Nursing Status: STRUCK OFF (Nursing and Midwifery Council fitness to practise committee).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active.
- SHPO Status: Sexual Harm Prevention Order active.
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Sexual assault; 1 count).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Exeter Crown Court; investigated by Devon and Cornwall Police.
- Criminal Record: Sexual assault of a patient in a hospital cubicle; Forensic DNA match.
- Origin: Upcot Crescent, Taunton, Somerset; formerly of Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Mushtaq is managed as a registered sex offender within the Taunton and Exeter areas. Due to the nature of his conduct, which involved a calculated and repeated assault on a hospital patient under his care, his management is a priority for the local public protection unit. Authorities state that his total lack of remorse and the predatory “entering and exiting” of the victim’s cubicle indicate a high level of risk that necessitates the most stringent monitoring of his employment and digital activities.
As a registered sex offender, then 35-year-old Mushtaq’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that his lifetime ban from the nursing profession is a critical safeguard to prevent him from accessing vulnerable individuals in a clinical setting. Any failure to notify police of his residency in Taunton, any attempt to seek work in the care sector, or any further reports of inappropriate behaviour in public spaces will result in the immediate activation of his suspended prison sentence to ensure public safety.
QUESTION – Given that the offender was only convicted after a DNA match and “showed no remorse,” do you believe that “Family Consequences” should ever be a valid legal justification for granting a suspended sentence to a sexual predator?
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