A CHILDREN’S health worker jailed for satisfying his perverted lust with a teenage patient is gay, a court was told.

Damien Bible, aged 26, of Gainsborough Avenue, Daubhill, claims he could not have carried out the act on a girl for sexual gratification because he is homosexual.

But yesterday he was sentenced to three-and-a-half years after earlier being convicted of performing an intimate examination of a 15-year-old girl at the health clinic where he worked. The test should have only been carried out by a doctor in the presence of a chaperone.

Despite Bible’s protests, Judge Timothy Clayson said: “The jury found, contrary to your evidence, that you carried out that intimate test on her and that intimate event was something you had no authority or permission to carry out.

“Furthermore the jury found that your motive for carrying out that act was sexual. It goes without saying that such an offence entailed a serious breach of trust. She expected you to act in a professional and responsible manner. You abused that trust for your own sexual purposes.”

Bible was sentenced to three and half years in prison for engaging in sexual activity with a child, although he will be eligible to serve half of that on licence. He was also disqualified from working with children indefinitely, given a sexual offences prevention order and must notify police of his whereabouts for the rest of his life.

The incident took place in January, 2007, when Bible’s young victim visited the Parallel Clinic in Churchgate, Bolton, to get some test results. Bolton Crown Court heard that Bible advised the girl that she needed a further test which he then performed in front of her two friends.

At the time, the girl did not suspect that anything was amiss. It was only later when she told her school nurse about the incident that the police became involved.

Ian McMeekin, defending, said that throughout the trial Bible had not revealed that he was gay for technical and personal reasons but made it known in the hope that the judge may consider a more lenient sentence.

Bolton’s Primary Care Trust, NHS Bolton, is now undertaking a review into why Bible was allowed back to work following his initial suspension.

Tim Evans, chief executive, said: “We are pleased that the legal proceedings have reached an appropriate conclusion, enabling us now to complete our internal inquiries and initiate our planned external review. Even before this court case, we had taken steps to ensure absolutely robust processes are in place in Bolton, in respect of child protection and to minimise the risks of such an incident ever occurring again.

“I would personally like to reiterate on behalf of NHS Bolton how sorry we are for the distress caused to the young woman concerned and to her close friends and family.”