Doctor to register as sex offender

Feb 14 2008 by Paul James, The Journal

A FORMER Tyneside doctor was yesterday ordered to register as a sex offender after admitting a series of child pornography offences.

Kevin Griffiths was arrested after police raided the GP practice at Palmer Community Hospital in Jarrow in June last year and seized computer equipment.

He pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to 12 offences of making indecent images of children under the age of 16 and one of possessing 362 indecent images of children.

The offences span a period between May 2006 and June last year. One of the charges involves a category five image – the most serious category, the court heard.

Griffiths, living in Queen Terrace, Wallsend, resigned from his post after his arrest.

He was bailed to an undisclosed address in London after sentence was adjourned for six weeks for probation, psychiatric and psychotherapy reports.

Judge David Wood also ordered that a sex offender report should be prepared and told Griffiths he must register as a sex offender within the next three days.

He told the 49-year-old: “Your case will be adjourned for sentence in the week of March 31 to enable all the reports to be obtained.

“That doesn’t mean the court has formed any view about sentence. That will be dealt with when all the reports are available.”

A spokesman for South Tyneside Primary Care Trust said that after Griffiths’ arrest on June 14 last year, a “thorough assessment” had been carried out by the PCT and the practice.

The spokesman said: “Dr Griffiths resigned from the practice in June last year.

“Since then, additional GP support has been secured which has enabled patients to continue to have access to three doctors, supported by nursing and surgery staff. Since this matter was brought to the attention of the practice, a thorough investigation has been carried out by South Tyneside PCT and the GP partners and they are satisfied that there is no evidence to suggest that patient care has been compromised in any way.

“Appropriate procedures were initiated and Dr Griffiths has been suspended from the medical performers’ list and is, therefore, currently unable to practice.

“Nevertheless, we would repeat our earlier advice that any patient who may have concerns about their treatment can make an appointment with Dr Dowsett or Dr Overs or call the Primary Care Trust on (0191) 529-7222.”

Whitley Bay doctor George Rae, regional chairman of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said he was not able to comment on the case specifically.

But Dr Rae said: “The BMA, in unison with the population generally, would abhor anything to do with paedophilia. As far as the profession is concerned, patient safety and trust in what the doctor does is absolutely paramount.

“Without patient safety and without trust in doctors, and what we do, the whole infrastructure of medicine comes tumbling down.”