A Doctor on probation reoffends

Also, as seen in this report:

A former Christchurch doctor who faces being struck off the medical register after being found guilty of paying a patient for sex and trying to dissuade her from making a complaint will learn his fate in March.

During a three-day hearing before the Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal in Christchurch last August the doctor, whose name is temporarily suppressed, faced six charges alleging disgraceful or professional misconduct.

He was found guilty of disgraceful conduct and a tribunal hearing to assess a penalty is expected to be held early in March after submissions from counsel for the Medical Council and the doctor's lawyer.

At the initial hearing, he strenuously denied allegations that he had sex with the patient, paid her for sexual favours, gave her drugs without prescription or medical reason, advised her how to make a lethal dose of medication to use as a suicide tool and paid her to try to dissuade her from making official complaints against him.

In October, the tribunal said it had found the doctor guilty of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect but did not specify whether he had been found guilty of all six charges.

In its full decision released yesterday, the tribunal said it had rejected charges that he supplied the young woman with drugs and gave her advice on how to prepare a suicide tool.

It found the doctor's conduct as alleged in the four other charges "either separately or cumulatively" amounted to disgraceful conduct.

While the names of the patient and the complainant are permanently suppressed, the tribunal has indicated it plans to lift a temporary suppression order preventing publication of the doctor's name.

The doctor faces removal from the medical register and a heavy fine.

At the tribunal hearing in August, the doctor's former patient gave evidence that she had been in a relationship with the doctor for almost two years after meeting him again by chance in a Christchurch supermarket.

She met the doctor in 1991 when she was aged 16 and he was caring for her family.

Giving evidence on his own behalf, the doctor denied ever dating her, having a sexual relationship with her, buying her lingerie or giving her money, either for sex or to persuade her not to talk to the Health and Disability Commissioner after a complaint was made about his behaviour.

He denied supplying her with the sedative benzodiazepam, but agreed he did prescribe her antibiotics for a urinary infection.

The doctor denied "absolutely" telling the woman he would commit suicide if the complaint against him went ahead.