Doctor accused of misconduct was struck off before over lying

A DOCTOR accused of sexual misconduct was previously struck off for lying about his qualifications.

- CONOR GOGARTY

Dr Velmurugan Kuppuswamy was allowed to practise again despite objections from the General Medical Council (GMC) - and within months of returning to the NHS he allegedly groped and made disturbing sexual comments to junior colleagues.

On Tuesday we reported on a medical practitioners’ tribunal case against Dr Kuppuswamy, who is facing allegations he sexually harassed two female doctors during his time as a locum consultant at Withybush hospital in Haverfordwest. On two occasions he is alleged to have put a colleague in a painful grip and ignored her pleas to stop squeezing her.

We can now reveal Dr Kuppuswamy was struck off the medical register in 2012 for lying in his application and interview for a postgraduate cardiology training position at an NHS deanery in England. He lied he had submitted an MD (doctor of medicine) thesis, that he was a member of the Royal College of Physicians, and that he had passed a practical assessment of clinical examination skills.

Dr Kuppuswamy initially admitted the deception only to later retract his admissions. A medical tribunal panel struck him off after finding he had "maintained his dishonest accounts" and had falsely accused a witness of giving misleading evidence against him.