By Kevin Shoesmith BBC News 13/03/2023 - [UK] - [Christopher Dunn] A doctor has been struck off after admitting making and possessing indecent images of children.
In September 2022, Dr Christopher Dunn received a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, at Leeds Crown Court after earlier pleading guilty to eight offences.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) has now ordered Dr Dunn to be erased from the medical register. The order was "to protect members of the public", the tribunal said.
In July 2022, Leeds-based Dr Dunn admitted three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child; three counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child; one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child; and one count of possessing an extreme photographic image.
The offences related to 327 images and videos and took place over a period of six-and-a-half years, the tribunal panel was told. 'Only appropriate sanction'
The MPTS hears cases against doctors where serious concerns have been raised and, as a result, their fitness to practise has been called into question by the General Medical Council (GMC).
Dr Dunn's conduct was "fundamentally incompatible", the GMC had argued, adding his immediate erasure from the medical register was the "only appropriate sanction".
The MPTS panel, held on 8 March, agreed, stating: "In light of all the circumstances of the case and in particular having regard to the gravity of the conviction and the real risk of repetition, the tribunal determined it was necessary to impose an immediate order on Dr Dunn's registration to protect members of the public."
In addition to the suspended prison sentence, Dr Dunn was ordered to complete 30 days' rehabilitation and was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm.