Hospital worker slapped female colleagues' bottoms in 'display of male power'

A hospital worker slapped female colleagues' bottoms in a 'display of male power' and had a cavalier approach to sexually assaulting women he worked with, a court has heard.

Hernando Puno, 52, of Onslow Road, Blackpool, was a popular member of staff on the stroke unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and known for his jokey manner and sense of humour, Burnley Crown Court heard.

However five women complained that he assaulted them during their time working on the unit and was previously warned about his behaviour in 2014 after hospital bosses wrote to him following a complaint from a female employee.

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The woman said she felt her complaint was not taken seriously and she was blamed for the sexual assault on her, LancsLive reports.

One colleague said he crept up behind her, in a curtained area, and pinned her to a bed. When she complained about what had happened, she said she felt her experience did not matter, the court heard. She left the hospital shortly afterwards.

Another described how Puno grabbed her buttocks with both hands as she walked towards a door on the unit. She told him, "Hernando, that's enough", but he appeared to find it funny, the court heard.

She said Puno assaulted her on other occasions, and contributed to her decision not to return to her job after parental leave.

One healthcare assistant described Puno standing closely behind her and kissing her. "It wasn't the kind of kiss you would give a colleague", she said. It was the woman's first job and she was new to the country, learning a different language.

She said at the time she did not see herself as a victim of sexual assault because "women acknowledge this kind of behaviour from