BOSTON — A former medical assistant at Massachusetts General Hospital accused of sexually assaulting patients was found guilty by a jury in Suffolk Superior Court Monday.
Damien Knighton sat in the Suffolk County Superior courtroom Monday afternoon as the jury delivered 6 guilty counts for indecent assault and battery and one not guilty verdict.
Knighton was a medical assistant at Back Bay Medical Center, which is affiliated with Mass General Hospital.
The victims said he tricked them into going into exam rooms with him alone for further examinations.
25 Investigates spoke with a man, identified as ‘M’ who said his trust was violated when Knighton placed him in an exam room and then, under the guise of it being medically necessary, touched him inappropriately and sexually abused him.
‘M’ was there in January 2023 for a routine check-up.
He saw his doctor and got some lab work.
Then he says he was approached by a staff member, he assumed was a nurse or doctor, who said he needed to return to an exam room and told him to undress.
“So, he starts patting my legs, examining my skin and all the way up,” ‘M’ says.
‘M’ says the staffer was seemingly examining his skin then proceeded to fondle his genital area.
At the time, was trusting that it was medically necessary.
“I think if he stopped there, the chances are I would have just gone home,” says ‘M’.
25 Investigates pulled criminal indictments indicating the staffer didn’t stop there.
‘M’ says he proceeded to do a rectal exam, twice.
“He made a comment like, ‘we do this, or we ask questions like this because, to determine if you’re taking Viagra or Cialis. And I said, and I don’t. And then I think he was done.”
He says the person cleaned him with a paper towel and told him he could go.
“As soon as I’m walking outside, I don’t know. I started feeling a little bit weird,” says ‘M’.
He says he was in shock but still reported what happened to both medical office staff and Boston Police before he even left the office.
As the investigation unfolded, ‘M’ discovered Knighton, was a medical assistant, someone not authorized to conduct any type of exam.
‘M’ sued MGH, claiming the institution allowed “…their employees unfettered access to vulnerable patients without direct supervision, oversight, or monitoring.”
Once convicted, the judge revoked his bail conditions.
“These incidents were egregious personal and ethical violations in a place of treatment and trust, and I thank the jury for recognizing them for what they were. I am grateful for the victims who bravely recounted Damien Knighton’s actions, and I thank the prosecutor, victim witness advocate and police investigators for their diligent work in bringing this defendant to justice,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.
Knighton will be sentenced on March 14th.
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