Naijil Paul, was sentenced to nearly eight years in prison by the High Court in Glasgow, Scotland, after pleading guilty to sexual assault and rape. He father asserted that he is innocent and a victim of fabricated allegations arising from racial prejudice and workplace hostility.
Published Dec 15, 2025 | 11:05 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 15, 2025 | 11:05 AM
Naijil Paul
Synopsis: The family of a Keralite nurse jailed in the United Kingdom for rape and sexual assault has alleged that he was a victim of racial prejudice. Naijil Paul, who worked as a care home manager in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, was found to have abused his position to assault three younger colleagues, but his family has rejected the allegations as fabricated and vowed to appeal the conviction.
“We are Catholics. Every Sunday we go to church for Holy Mass. But when I visited a Catholic church [in Scotland], the locals refused to sit near me. They treated us like second-grade people, always judging by skin colour. They were racist,” said Paul Xavier, speaking from his home in Kochi, Kerala.
Earlier this month, his son, 47-year-old Naijil Paul, was sentenced to nearly eight years in prison by the High Court in Glasgow, Scotland, after pleading guilty to sexual assault and rape while working as a care home manager in North Lanarkshire in 2018.
Copy of the order
Paul used his managerial authority to exploit vulnerable staff members, the BBC Scotland reported. He locked a 26-year-old employee in an office, threatened that resistance could lead to the loss of her job and homelessness for her children, and raped her.
Two other younger colleagues, aged 19 and 21, were also reportedly assaulted.
However, according to Xavier, his son is innocent and a victim of fabricated allegations arising from racial prejudice and workplace hostility. The elderly father is now preparing for a long legal battle, determined to fight until his son walks free.
Xavier asserted that some of his son’s colleagues were “simply unable to accept an Indian as their superior”.
“Things were smooth until he got a promotion as manager. Many of his colleagues have a racist mindset,” he told South First.
“This racism is not only towards Indians. Even Scottish people with brown skin face this. Also, this complex is more among middle-class people. They do not even greet us. This case is fully fabricated.”
Naijil Paul’s wife and child continue to reside in Scotland and have now moved an appeal through an advocate there, which was not considered this week.
“We will challenge this legally. No one should bear this kind of punishment only due to envy and racism from colleagues,” Xavier added.
Betty Kurien, a nurse working in the UK, told South First that racism remains very real in Scotland.
“White people are often seen as ‘normal’, while migrants are treated as outsiders, even if their families have lived there for generations. People are frequently excluded, ignored, or considered less than in social circles, not always out of hatred, but because of deep-rooted biases,” she said.
Contrary to the assumption held by many in India that life for migrants in the UK is easy, she said discrimination is widespread. “Many remain silent, fearing job loss or legal complications,” she added.
Soon after allegations against Naijil first surfaced, he failed to appear in court in December 2019 and returned to India, spending the next six years living with his family in Kerala.
Authorities in the UK struck him off the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in 2024 for misconduct, citing his failure to face the charges.
In early 2025, the UK sought his extradition, prompting coordinated action involving Interpol, the Ministry of External Affairs, the CBI and Kerala Police.
Police in Kochi traced him to his home in North Kalamassery.
The team, led by SHO Latheef MB and comprising seven officers, executed the extradition warrant. Paul was produced before the Kalamassery Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on 24 January 2025 and lodged in Kakkanad jail for two days before being taken to Delhi.
“Throughout the journey, he appeared tense and upset. He claimed the whole case was a trap. We did not know anything about the case because we were only implementing the warrant. Now we hear he has been convicted,” the officers told South First.
Xavier, however, insisted that the narrative of his son fleeing Scotland is false.
“I was unwell and had to undergo surgery. That is why he came home from Scotland in 2019. He was planning to return, but then the COVID-19 lockdown began, and he could not go back,” he told South First.
The family maintains that Naijil had no intention of evading justice but was forced to remain in India due to unforeseen circumstances.
After months of legal proceedings, Naijil Paul was extradited to the UK in October.
On 8 December, he was sentenced to seven years and nine months in prison, followed by two years of supervision, and placed on the sex offenders register for life.
The sentencing judge, described the acts as “premeditated” and condemned Paul for showing little remorse, noting that he described the rape as a “consensual sexual encounter” in pre-sentencing reports.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
