A sex-pest surgeon has avoided punishment after he forced himself upon a junior female colleague at a Moray hospital.
Dr Milind Mehta asked the doctor into his office at Dr Gray’s Hospital under the pretext of showing her medical slides.
However, the 48-year-old instead pressed himself against her chest before kissing her repeatedly on the neck and shoulder.
Yesterday it was revealed the orthopaedic surgeon will avoid punishment from the Medical Practitioners’ Tribunals Service (MPTS) after he arranged a series of presentations and discussions, which were based on his own inappropriate behaviour.
A hearing of the MPTS found the surgeon guilty of sexually motivated misconduct towards the junior doctor, identified only as “Dr D”.
NHS Grampian has confirmed Dr Mehta is no longer employed by them.
During evidence it was revealed the woman had confided in Dr Mehta during a coffee break after learning her Glasgow-based boyfriend had been diagnosed with cancer.
Two days later he asked her into his office to see a presentation on orthopaedic topics.
Chloe Blinding, counsel for the General Medical Council, said: “They were both sat quite close at the desk but the computer was not turned on at any stage. She said the conversation began to be of a more personal nature and Dr Mehta made comments about her partner’s illness.
“He said it wasn’t cheating if she confided in someone who wasn’t her boyfriend and that moving to Glasgow was a nightmare.
“He said that if she went she would have to look after her partner and if she did that then she should still have fun while she was in Elgin.
“Dr D was very uncomfortable. Dr Mehta hugged her repeatedly and pushed their chests together. She was looking around the room avoiding eye contact, trying to get away.”
Dr Mehta later laughed when the woman asked him if he had “tricked” her into going into his office on February 26, 2015 – explaining “I hope you didn’t get the wrong idea.”
The surgeon initially insisted the only physical contact that took place was a handshake, before later admitting he kissed her “to comfort her”.
The hearing was told Dr Mehta had previously kissed a senior manageress following a meeting at the hospital in 2012 and had telephoned the mother of one of his young patients in 2013 to ask if she was married.
But Stuart McLeese, chairman of the MPTS panel, believed he should not be punished due to his desire to change his behaviour and work to educate others since the incidents.
He said: “Your case is an exceptional one. Foremost is that you have publicly involved yourself in presentations and discussions that were specifically based on your own inappropriate behaviour.
“For a doctor who has behaved in inappropriate ways, to open himself up to public scrutiny in the way in which you have done demonstrates a degree of insight, remorse, willingness to improve yourself and concern for your profession that is exceptional.”
During evidence, NHS director David Wilkinson said: “By sharing his (Dr Mehta) story in such an open and honest way, he was helping to support the development of an open, transparent, learning culture where colleagues are supported to learn and improve.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said: “We are aware of this case and can confirm this person is no longer an employee of NHS Grampian.”
