A former Washington University neurosurgeon has been sentenced to two years in prison for sexually assaulting a young woman in a Glasgow nightclub.
Camilo Molina, 40, received the sentence on Oct. 21 at Glasgow Sheriff Court following his conviction for the April 5 attack inside Kong, a club on Royal Exchange Square in the heart of the Scottish city. The married spine specialist, a U.S. Citizen born in Colombia, was in Glasgow attending a conference when he approached the 20-year-old victim from behind, put his hand under her denim skirt and touched her inappropriately.
Prosecutors told the court that Molina initially pretended to be a police officer when he approached the woman, though he denied this claim during sentencing proceedings. The victim, a complete stranger to him, was in the busy venue when the assault occurred.
“Molina sexually assaulted the woman, a complete stranger to him, in a busy bar in what can only be described as a despicable attack. He now faces the consequences of his actions,” Glasgow Sheriff’s Office Detective Inspector Holly Swindells said in a statement.
“The woman showed great courage and strength by reporting what happened to her and throughout the legal process. I hope the outcome from court provides her with some form of justice.”
Molina’s defense attorney, John Scullion, addressed the court about the circumstances surrounding the assault. “The incident in the nightclub happened after many hours of drinking,” he said.
“I do not suggest this as mitigation or a way of an excuse but it perhaps provides some explanation for an event that otherwise would be out of character,” Scullion continued, noting this was Molina’s first criminal offense.
Scullion also emphasized his client’s former professional standing. “Mr. Molina worked really hard and established himself as one of the top surgeons in the country in an extremely complex field. He saved many lives by undertaking complex surgery that others would deem impossible,” he said.
“The consequences of his conviction have been catastrophic as he has resigned from the Washington University Hospital and his licence to practise medicine has been revoked.”
Before his arrest, Molina held the position of associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where he ran his own laboratory for the medical school’s prestigious neurosurgery program. His university profile indicated he specialized in spine diseases and was researching technologies to make spinal procedures less invasive. According to the school’s description, he served as a leader on the clinical design team that helped secure FDA approval for the first augmented reality-mediated spine procedures performed in the United States.
The university has confirmed Molina no longer works there. He has also lost his medical license and been placed on Scotland’s sex offenders registry for 10 years. Despite the conviction, Molina claimed in court that he still has his wife’s support. Public records show the couple previously resided together in a St. Louis mansion valued at nearly $2 million.
The assault took place during Molina’s visit to Glasgow for a professional conference, where the spine-fellow-trained neurosurgeon was representing his field before the attack cut short his career.