A Nigerian health worker, Adewale Kudabo, has been handed a one-year jail term by a United Kingdom court, over allegations of kissing a patient at a York hospital.

The presiding judge, Alex Menary, in his judgement, said Kudabo had “abused the trust” placed in him as a medical professional.

Kudabo had pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault on the first day of his trial in April.

Menary said the victim had “placed her trust” in Kudabo and told him: “You abused that trust.”

On June 10, the judge jailed Kudabo for one year and said he must serve half of the sentence before he is eligible for release.

The court heard that the offences had led to the victim suffering with anxiety and experiencing flashbacks to what happened at the hospital with Kudabo.

The York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs York Hospital, said it offers its “sincere apologies” to the victim.

The foundation said Kudabo had left his job at the hospital soon after the offences.

Henry Fernnandez, the prosecutor, said Kudabo was allocated to bathe the patient who was in a lot of pain.

When he finished bathing the patient, Kudabo reportedly kissed her [the patient] on the lips.

The victim, despite being in considerable pain, was said to have moved away slightly but could not avoid the kiss.

Fernnandez said the patient was “left in a state of confusion and felt uncomfortable” by the incident.

Days after the incident, Fernnandez added that Kudabo asked the victim if she wanted another “bed bath” and again tried to kiss her.

Jerry Sodipe, Kudabo’s lawyer, said he has no previous convictions, and had shown remorse for his actions.

Sodipe said Kudabo was “moved to sympathy” due to the pain experienced by the victim and accepted his actions were “inappropriate and unacceptable”.