Sex pest doctor allowed to KEEP his job 'in the public interest'

Sex pest doctor who pleaded to be struck off after admitting bombarding students with obscene pictures and videos is allowed to KEEP his job ‘in the public interest’

• Dr James White repeatedly sent explicit pictures to fellow medical students
• One of the six women told how his twisted behaviour took place over four years 

A doctor who repeatedly sent explicit pictures to fellow medical students has escaped being struck off despite being found guilty of serious misconduct.

Dr James White bombarded his six female victims with ‘disgusting’ photos, videos and messages, including asking one: ‘Would you like to see me erupt?’

One of the women – now a qualified doctor – told how his twisted behaviour, which took place over four years, had left her feeling ‘violated’ while another voiced fears about what he might do in the presence of a sedated patient.

Dr White himself urged his professional regulator to strip him of his title, saying he would never practice medicine again.

But a disciplinary panel decided throwing him out of the profession would be ‘disproportionate’ and suspended him for a year instead.

A doctor who repeatedly sent explicit pictures to fellow medical students has escaped being struck off despite being found guilty of serious misconduct (stock image)

‘There is a public interest in facilitating the safe return to work of an otherwise competent doctor,’ the tribunal concluded.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing was told Dr White qualified from the University of East Anglia in 2015.

Over the next four years he sent scores of messages to six women who had been at medical school with him before two of his victims reported him to the General Medical Council (GMC).

‘Both alleged that Dr White had sent unsolicited pictures and videos which were sexually explicit and unwanted,’ the hearing was told.

These included videos of him masturbating as well as photos of his genitals.

One of his victims – identified only as Dr A – said that in February 2019, Dr White sent her a message which stated ‘Do you want to see me erupt?’

‘He then sent me a picture of his erect penis on WhatsApp,’ she said.

After his second victim, Dr B, ignored an explicit video he sent her, he messaged her to say ‘I didn’t realise you were a lesbian’, the tribunal was told.

A third woman, Dr C, said when Dr White started to send her explicit photos of himself she told him to stop.

‘I told him it was not appropriate. I said I was in a relationship, I was not interested and I didn’t want those messages, but that I was happy to be friends.

‘Things were then normal for a while. We chatted about work, our aspirations and how our days had been. He would then randomly become sexual again. This pattern continued until I had had enough.

One of the women – now a qualified doctor – told how Dr White’s twisted behaviour, which took place over four years, had left her feeling ‘violated’ (stock image)

‘I told him four times that I didn’t want explicit pictures or sexual messages from him. He then sent me these messages once more and I blocked him.’

Finding him guilty of serious misconduct, the panel said Dr White’s ‘morally culpable’ behaviour ‘would be condemned by other health professionals and informed members of the public’.

‘He had sent unsolicited, sexual messages and images to former medical students, now mostly in practice as doctors, all female,’ the tribunal found.

‘He had not demonstrated fairness or respect to the six recipients, who were distressed by his behaviour, as well as concerned.

‘His conduct did not justify patients’ trust in doctors or public trust in the profession and had potential to bring the medical profession into disrepute.

‘(His) actions were repeated between 2015 and 2019. His actions had an adverse impact on others and could undermine public confidence in doctors.’

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing was told Dr White qualified from the University of East Anglia in 2015 (file image)

Dr White did not attend the hearing or contest the charges against him.

Instead he sent a statement in which he said: ‘I will never practice medicine again, not for my genuine love of patients, but for my failures and mistakes in a younger period of my life.

‘I recognise the harm this has caused and strongly advise the deciding body to strip me of my medical title.’

However, in ruling on a sanction, the panel decided not to strike off Dr White after hearing that his sexual misconduct was not of the most serious kind and imposed a 12 month suspension, instead.

‘There is a public interest in facilitating the safe return to work of an otherwise competent doctor, so complete removal of Dr White’s name from the medical register would not be proportionate,’ it said.

‘The Tribunal did not consider there is a significant risk of repetition of similar misconduct in view of Dr White’s shame and concern for those impacted.’

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