Judge Gives California Gynecologist 11 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Patients

James Heaps appears in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Heaps a
Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP

A 66-year-old former UCLA gynecologist will spend the next 11 years in prison after being indicted for sexually abusing patients.

In October, James Heaps was found guilty on three counts of sexual battery by fraud and two counts of sexual penetration regarding two of his patients, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

The defense recently argued for another trial but the judge refused, according to KCAL News.

Video footage shows Heaps, wearing an orange shirt with “LA County Jail” printed on it, with his eyes downcast while sitting in the courtroom:

The retired cancer specialist was sentenced by Judge Michael D. Carter, the Times article said.

“While he was charged with 21 felony counts, Heaps was found not guilty of seven other counts, including one of sexual exploitation. Carter declared a mistrial on nine sex-related counts due to a deadlocked jury,” the newspaper noted.

In 2019, one of his accusers said, “I sat there thinking, ‘this is a gynecological oncologist. Much more training and education than most doctors I see.’ I knew it felt uncomfortable, but I should trust him,” she told Today:

“I was also told I could get cancer and die. And since seeing another gynecologist I’ve learned I’m not at high risk. He put fear in me to guarantee that I would keep coming back every few months,” she added.

When describing what happened during her appointments, another accuser recalled, “He had his hands all over my body.”

The assaults happened from 2013 until 2017 “the portion of his tenure that falls within the statute of limitations for which criminal charges could be brought,” the Times report said.

In written statements, other victims said they now experience terrible anxiety and are unable to trust male doctors.

Heaps must register as a sex offender after completing his sentence although he has served over a year in jail while waiting for his trial to take place.

“Prosecutors asked for a 13-year-prison sentence, the maximum amount of time under the convictions of which Heaps was found guilty,” the Times report said.

When Heaps was found guilty in October, one of his accusers spoke out during a press conference:

“Thank God he will never be able to hurt anyone the way he hurt each one of us and so many hundreds of other women,” she said.

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