Rapist doctor who kept licence struck off on appeal

A doctor who was allowed to keep his medical licence even after a tribunal found he had raped a woman has been struck off following an appeal.

Former Blackpool Victoria Hospital consultant Aloaye Foy-Yamah had his licence suspended for only 12 months in March 2025 by an independent panel, even though it accepted he had committed the offence.

The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates the register of doctors able to practise in the UK, appealed against that decision to the High Court, which ordered a fresh hearing.

That new tribunal, chaired by Christine McLoughlin, found that because Foy-Yamah would pose a risk to women were he to resume his career, he had to be struck off.

A spokesperson for the GMC said after the decision: "There is no place for sexual misconduct in healthcare.

"We maintained that Dr Aloaye Foy-Yamah posed an ongoing risk and should be struck off the medical register to protect patients and uphold confidence in the profession."

The original tribunal chair, Angus Macpherson, had concluded that the attack had been a "one-off" event.

"It did not involve patient safety concerns," he wrote. "The Tribunal has found it will not be repeated."

That decision was accused of "victim-blaming" and failing to properly assess Foy-Yamah's risk to patients.

Campaign group Surviving in Scrubs, founded by two doctors who aim to highlight sexism, sexual harassment and sexual violence in the healthcare workforce, told the BBC at the time it had been "appalled" by the original ruling.

"This belittles the traumatic experiences of survivors of sexual assault and undermines public trust in the profession," co-founder Dr Becky Cox said.

"It sets a standard that perpetrators of sexual violence face minimal consequences for their actions."

Foy-Yamah, who maintained his innocence, also appealed the tribunal's decision but the High Court dismissed his case.

The tribunal had heard that the victim had been lying on a sofa when Foy-Yamah, began making sexual advances towards her.

The tribunal heard that she later told police: "He then goes to kiss me, I start moving my head from side to side.

"I cannot speak as every time I open my mouth he tries to put his tongue in my mouth.

"I am pushing on his shoulders, trying to get him off. He then grabs my arms and pins them to the sofa."

The tribunal heard the woman said Foy-Yamah then raped her.

The case was investigated by Lancashire Police but criminal charges did not follow.

In the new judgment, McLoughlin wrote: "The Tribunal considered that there was a palpable absence of any meaningful insight expressed by Dr Foy-Yamah into his behaviour.

"The Tribunal was of the view that Dr Foy-Yamah's reflections were confined only to how he could prevent future risk of similar allegations arising against him but there was no apology or recognition of the impact of his actions on [the victim] or the impact on public confidence or on the reputation of the profession."

The decision means Foy-Yamah is prohibited from practising as a doctor in the UK.

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