Doctor sexually harassed colleague, tribunal finds

The fitness to practise of a doctor, who left the UK in the wake of sexual assault allegations, was impaired, a tribunal has found, after several misconduct charges were proven.

Dr Jawad Ahmad was found to have sexually harassed a then-junior doctor in 2020, while they both worked at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent.

He also failed to inform his employer of his arrest on suspicion of sexually assaulting a teenage girl, in June 2020, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) said.

Their misconduct hearing, held in Ahmad's absence, began earlier this month, after police said he was believed to be in Pakistan, having left the UK about five years ago.

The tribunal adjourned to consider what sanction it will impose and is scheduled to resume on Tuesday.

The accusations of misconduct, made by a then-junior doctor referred to as Ms A, included invitations to dinner from Ahmad and requests to visit her home to pick up books.

He was also accused of luring Ms A into an office on 11 June 2020 before pushing her down onto a chair, massaging her back and shoulders and kissing her.

On Monday, the MPTS chair in the case, Alison Storey, described Ahmad's conduct in the 11 June incident as "predatory and premeditated", adding that it had left Ms A "upset".

She would later take steps to avoid night shifts in an effort to avoid Ahmad, Storey said, and not work when the hospital was quiet, when she thought she would be more vulnerable.

Ahmad, who was a urology registrar, was also found to have signed a contract extension with University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust on 22 June 2020, without disclosing he had been arrested for a suspected criminal offence.

He had been taken into custody two days earlier, after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Stoke-on-Trent.

The General Medical Council (GMC) described his actions as dishonest and said he had an obligation to declare his arrest, but did not do so because he wanted the new contract.

Storey said the tribunal's finding of impairment sent a "clear signal" to Ahmad, the profession and the public of "the unacceptability of his misconduct".

James Halliday, representing the GMC, recommended Ahmad be erased from the medical register, describing his actions as "fundamentally incompatible" with his profession.

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