A Boston medical worker was sentenced with 9-12 years in state prison followed by 3 years of probation Friday after being found guilty of six counts of indecent assault and battery in early March.
Damien Knighton, 41, was also ordered to register as a sex offender and never work in the medical field in Massachusetts again, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney.
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Knighton sexually assaulted four patients while working as a medical assistant at the Massachusetts General Hospital Back Bay Health Center on Commonwealth Avenue.
“The last two-plus years have taken a toll on me both personally and professionally,” one of the victims said while reading their impact statement in court. “The level of embarrassment, shame, anger and guilt I have felt are at a level I never thought I could feel. I am a very private person and the fact that I had to stand up here and show my face and admit this happened has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.”
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Judge Debra Squires-Lee concluded that Knighton "used his position and status to facilitate commission of the offenses. The use of his position as a medical assistant to commit these crimes caused the victims additional emotional and psychic pain. They trusted the defendant and that trust was abused."
The East Boston man was arrested in January 2023 and placed on administrative leave after being charged with rape and indecent assault of a patient.
Knighton allegedly told the patient, who was at the hospital at the time for a shoulder and leg injury, that he required another test. Kington then examined the patient's genitals and inserted his finger into his rectum twice. After the patient talked to other hospital staff, he realized that he had been assaulted and called 911.
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Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
Days after Knighton's arrest, another victim came forward, saying that Knighton had similarly examined his genitals and performed an unnecessary rectal exam on Jan. 12. Prosecutors brought additional charges against Knighton.
Knighton was eventually indicted on seven counts of indecent assault and battery, with four victims. He was found guilty on six charges in Suffolk Superior Court on March 3.
“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," Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement released after the jury's verdict. "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."
