Missouri neurosurgeon convicted of sexually assaulting woman, 20, in ‘despicable’ attack in Scottish nightclub

A Missouri neurosurgeon and former Washington University professor has been convicted of sexually assaulting a young woman inside a Scottish nightclub, police said. 

Camilo Molina, 40, will spend two years in prison in Scotland for his appalling actions at a club in Royal Exchange Square – located in the heart of Glasgow – called Kong on April 5, 2025. 

The married sex predator approached the victim, 20, from behind, put his hand under her denim skirt and touched her inappropriately, police said, according to The Herald. 

Prosecutors said Molina pretended to be a police officer when he first approached the woman, but he denied this in court during his sentencing on Oct. 21, per the outlet. 

“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.

“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 is a former associate professor at WashU in St. Louis. He was a spine-fellow-trained neurosurgeon who ran his own lab for the prestigious college’s school of medicine. 

According to his WashU profile, he specialized in spine diseases and was researching technologies to make spinal procedures less invasive. 

“He was a leader on the clinical design team that ultimately led to the FDA approval and performance of the first augmented reality-mediated spine procedures in the United States,” the school wrote.  

Molina, a US citizen who was born in Colombia, was attending a conference in Glasgow when he carried out the disgusting assault, prosecutors said. 

He no longer works at WashU and has lost his medical license, according to The Herald. 

WashU did not return a request for comment. 

Molina, who’s been placed on the sex offenders registry in Scotland for 10 years, still has the support of his wife, he claimed in court. 

The couple lived together in a stunning nearly $2 million mansion in St. Louis, according to public records. 

Molina’s defense attorney John Scullion claimed in court that “the incident in the nightclub happened after many hours of drinking.”

“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 said, The Herald reported.

He also said this was Molina’s first criminal offense. 

“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.”