NHS radiographer struck off after asking trainee if she had a boyfriend and another to sit on his lap

An NHS radiographer who asked a junior colleague if she had a boyfriend during theatre training and asked another employee to sit on his lap has been struck off for gross misconduct.

Christopher Gyiripah, who worked as a radiographer at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey, was accused of making “unwanted sexual advances” towards two colleagues – claims he had denied.

A disciplinary investigation heard he asked a colleague, known only as colleague D, several personal questions during her week of theatre training, such as “Do you have a boyfriend? What kind of relationship do you prefer – do you like an open one?”

In another instance, he also asked another staff member, colleague E, to sit on his lap and made a “patting gesture on his thigh”, which made her feel “very uncomfortable”.

In April 2022, Mr Gyiripah was dismissed from his role for gross misconduct following an investigation and a final Health and Care Professionals Tribunal Service (HCPTS) hearing in February 2026, which concluded that his name should be struck off the register.

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The hearing found he was in a position of power, which he “exploited for his own sexual gratification”. Although Mr Gyiripah admitted there was a power imbalance because he was a senior member of staff, he denied he had a sexual motivation and told the panel he was a “friendly person” and had “platonic relationships with his colleagues”.

He was also found to have made staff feel “intimidated” and at risk of receiving unwanted advances at work, which may have had an impact on their ability to care for patients. There was also evidence that a number of colleagues refused to work shifts with him.

Colleague D told the panel that in 2018, Mr Gyiripah had looked her up on Facebook on his phone while in her presence and, while looking through her profile pictures, he said she “looked hot and had a nice arse”.

She also said that he found out she was living in hospital accommodation and asked what room she was in, saying he could “pop over during a night shift and give her a surprise”. She declined, but heard from other colleagues that he was asking where her room was.

On another occasion in November 2018, when she was working a shift with Mr Gyiripah, he hugged her and squeezed her bottom. She told him to leave her alone, to which he asked, “Why?” adding: “I felt like touching you, so I did”. He also said: “If you tell anyone, no one will believe you because no one knows you… everyone knows me and respects me” or words to that effect, the panel was told.

The second colleague to complain about Mr Gyiripah worked with him as a radiographer at the hospital from March 2020 on a weekly basis. Colleague E said that during a night shift in January 2021, she had some music playing on her computer and he stared at her in an “intense, creepy and perverted manner” and asked her to dance with him.

Another staff member, referred to as colleague H, who was the radiology general manager working in the department, said she had received a number of complaints from colleagues of a similar nature relating to the radiologist’s alleged sexual misconduct in the workplace. She said he accused the witnesses of “lying” and laughed off the allegations put to him.

All allegations against Gyiripah were found proven by the panel.

Frimley Heath NHS Foundation Trust said: “All our staff are entitled to feel safe and respected at work and we will never tolerate any form of sexual misconduct or inappropriate behaviour.

“We suspended Mr Gyiripah from duty as soon as these allegations were raised and conducted a thorough internal investigation. He was subsequently dismissed and the case was referred to the Health and Care Professions Council.

“We have established support enabling any of our staff to raise concerns about their own sexual safety, or that of a colleague, all of which are taken seriously and addressed promptly and with compassion.”