British TV Psychiatrist to face plagiarism charges

The psychiatrist in question fails to see any error in his ways, and remains unremorseful. From the Guardian

TV psychiatrist Raj Persaud is to go before a General Medical Council panel hearing to decide if he should continue to practise, the Guardian has learned.

The 44-year-old consultant, who presents Radio 4's All In The Mind and appears on Channel 4's Richard and Judy show, has been called to answer charges of plagiarism before a "fitness to practice" panel which has the power to strike a doctor off the GMC register.

In a letter to a member of the public who complained about Persaud, a GMC investigations officer explained why the inquiry was necessary, saying: "The allegation raises issues of probity, and any incidence of dishonesty in a professional context is a serious matter that could affect the doctor's registration." The letter dated November 13 said the GMC had received complaints from several sources.

"There is a genuine possibility that in copying extensively from other authors without adequate acknowledgement, he acted dishonestly and there is, therefore, a realistic prospect of establishing that the doctor's fitness to practise is sufficiently impaired to justify action on registration," said the officer. The letter made it clear there is no suggestion Persaud attempted to pass off research of others as his; rather, it is alleged he wrote about research, copying the researchers' words, and failed to give the necessary attribution.

The Guardian reported in 2005 that the British Medical Journal and Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry magazine retracted articles by Persaud after it emerged passages were reprinted word for word from work by an American academic. At the time, Persaud said it was "a cutting and pasting error". In April 2006, in an inquiry by King's College London, Persaud accepted he had failed to properly acknowledge others' work in some of his journalism. He apologised and withdrew from his honorary post at the college's institute of psychiatry. He also temporarily stopped presenting All in the Mind.

An investigation in 2006 by the South London and Maudsley trust, where Persaud is a consultant, found that parts of his bestseller, From The Edge Of The Couch, appeared to have been copied, after a professor at Manchester University complained. The trust's investigators concluded there was repeated evidence of copying without appropriate acknowledgment. Persaud did not respond to phone calls yesterday. In the inquiry he accepted not all his work was adequately sourced, saying he made mistakes after overcommitting himself, and apologised.

The GMC letter made clear Persaud denies any dishonesty or unprofessionalism. The GMC said yesterday it could not comment on any individual case before a hearing date was made public, which might take six months or longer.

A BBC spokeswoman said yesterday: "As the GMC panel have yet to reach any conclusions, Raj will continue to present All In The Mind."