The Tale of the Crooked Psychiatrist

From the Harrow Times in England

A crooked psychiatrist who fleeced thousands of pounds in income support while earning £50,000 a year and owning two homes has been thrown out of the profession.

Dr Alma Yak, 55, from Kingsbury, was given a 15 month suspended sentence at Harrow Crown Court in September 2005 for a swindle that saw her pocket almost £30,000.

Yak told the North Essex Mental Health Trust that she needed a six month sabbatical to care for her sick mother.

But she found herself another job with the West London Mental Health Trust after just a month on leave.

She had also been claiming income support, housing and council tax benefit from since at least April 1993, originally from Edgware Road, Kingsbury, and then from Westbury Road, Alperton.

Yak was awarded incapacity benefit, but investigations revealed that she had in fact been working since August 2001 as a qualified psychiatrist, earning approximately £50,000 a year.

She owned two properties, one in Kingsbury since January 2003 and one in Colchester since August 2001.

The Sudanese trained psychiatrist kept a prescription pad from the North Essex trust and wrote four prescriptions for family members while on the sabbatical.

The North Essex Trust then spent months trying to get Yak to repay them £23,800 they had accidentally paid her in wages while she was taking the work break.

Chairman Professor David Katz said: 'The allegations which the panel has found proved represent a serious breach of the principles and standards of conduct that the public is entitled to expect from registered medical practitioners.

He said to Yak: 'You behaved dishonestly on many occasions over an extended period of time.

'The panel is very concerned about this persistent and deliberate dishonesty.' Yak admitted her convictions for benefit fraud and that her conduct in writing four prescriptions was unprofessional, inappropriate and misleading, intended to mislead and dishonest.

The GMC last week found her fitness to practise impaired and struck her off.