Dr Awan GMC ref. 6032816 caught by cop posing as 13-year-old kid online

The request was successful.

Dear General Medical Council,

I refer to a case determined on 15 November 2019:

https://www.mpts-uk.org/-/media/mpts-rod...

The GMC considered the nine-month suspension imposed on Dr Awan too lenient and unsuccessfully appealed:

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admi...

Case No: CO/4891/2019

Paragraph 17 of the Judgment states:

"On 15 January 2016 South Yorkshire police disclosed the above information to the GMC."

(the information referred to is a summary of a chat consistent with the chat of sexual predators who groom children online).

1. Did South Yorkshire police ever contact you to inform you of Dr Awan having been convicted of a criminal offence in relation to his online communications?

Paragraph 20 of the Judgment reads:

"In October 2017 the respondent emigrated to Canada where he works as a GP."

2. Did you notify the appropriate authorities in Canada of Dr Awan's sexually motivated conduct? If so, when?

3. For the year 2019/20, how many times were you contacted by the police about the online conduct of doctors.

4. For the year 2019/20, (i) how many concluded MPT hearings related to the online conduct of doctors where it was alleged there was a sexual motive; and (ii) in how many of these cases had you known the doctor concerned to be a registered sex offender?

5. For the year 2019/20, please provide details of the sanctions imposed in all cases involving doctors found to have communicated online with children (or decoys) and where their motives were found to be sexual.

Yours faithfully,

J Roberts

FOI, General Medical Council

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FOI, General Medical Council

Dear J Roberts,

 

Your information request – IR1-2719116201

Thank you for your email dated 17 June, in which you ask for the below:

 

1.  Did South Yorkshire police ever contact you to inform you of Dr Awan
having been convicted of a criminal offence in relation to his online
communications?

 

2.  Did you notify the appropriate authorities in Canada of Dr Awan's
sexually motivated conduct?  If so, when?

 

3.  For the year 2019/20, how many times were you contacted by the police
about the online conduct of doctors.

 

4.  For the year 2019/20, (i)  how many concluded MPT hearings related to
the online conduct of doctors where it was alleged there was a sexual
motive; and (ii)  in how many of these cases had you known the doctor
concerned to be a registered sex offender? 

 

5.  For the year 2019/20, please provide details of the sanctions imposed
in all cases involving doctors found to have communicated online with
children (or decoys) and where their motives were found to be sexual.

 

How we will consider your request

We’re going to consider your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000 (FOIA). The FOIA gives us 20 working days to respond, but we’ll come
back to you as soon as we can.

 

Who to contact

Christine Abdy will be handling your request. If you have any questions
you can contact her via email at [1][email address].

 

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic outbreak we are currently operating at
reduced capacity. It may therefore take us longer to respond to your
request. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Lauren Barrowcliffe

Information Access Team Assistant

 

[email address]

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3AW

 

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J Roberts left an annotation ()

The Daily Mail:

"A GP who was caught trying to groom a '13-year-old girl' in an internet chat room has not been struck off after a judge ruled he can carry on working as a medic."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

J Roberts left an annotation ()

A similar case presided over by Judge Mostyn in which he restated what is meant by a sexual motivation:

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admi...

Sait v The General Medical Council (GMC) [2018] EWHC 3160 (Admin) (27 November 2018)

'36. As noted above, allegation 11 stated: "Your actions as set out at paras 8 -10 above were sexually motivated". In Basson exactly the same allegation was made, and I understand this to be standard drafting. In Basson at para 14 I said:

"The Tribunal decided that what the appellant did and said was done with a sexual motive. A sexual motive means that the conduct was done either in pursuit of sexual gratification or in pursuit of a future sexual relationship...'

'60. Having set aside the earlier sexual motivation finding it follows that there was no "pattern" of sexually motivated actions by the appellant. In my judgment that fatally undermines the reasoning in paragraph 120 of the findings concerning the appellant's state of mind on 9 May 2016.'

Christine Abdy (0161 923 6421), General Medical Council

Dear J Roberts

 

In relation to questions 3, 4 and 5 below, could you please clarify the
date range you would like us to look at.  For example, the 12 month period
June 2019 - June 2020, or the full year 2019 plus 2020 to date?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Christine Abdy

Information Access Officer

General Medical Council

 

 

From: FOI
Sent: 19 June 2020 13:46
To: '[FOI #671235 email]'
<[FOI #671235 email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Dr Awan GMC ref. 6032816
caught by cop posing as 13-year-old kid online

 

Dear J Roberts,

 

Your information request – IR1-2719116201

Thank you for your email dated 17 June, in which you ask for the below:

 

1.  Did South Yorkshire police ever contact you to inform you of Dr Awan
having been convicted of a criminal offence in relation to his online
communications?

 

2.  Did you notify the appropriate authorities in Canada of Dr Awan's
sexually motivated conduct?  If so, when?

 

3.  For the year 2019/20, how many times were you contacted by the police
about the online conduct of doctors.

 

4.  For the year 2019/20, (i)  how many concluded MPT hearings related to
the online conduct of doctors where it was alleged there was a sexual
motive; and (ii)  in how many of these cases had you known the doctor
concerned to be a registered sex offender? 

 

5.  For the year 2019/20, please provide details of the sanctions imposed
in all cases involving doctors found to have communicated online with
children (or decoys) and where their motives were found to be sexual.

 

How we will consider your request

We’re going to consider your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000 (FOIA). The FOIA gives us 20 working days to respond, but we’ll come
back to you as soon as we can.

 

Who to contact

Christine Abdy will be handling your request. If you have any questions
you can contact her via email at [1][email address].

 

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic outbreak we are currently operating at
reduced capacity. It may therefore take us longer to respond to your
request. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Lauren Barrowcliffe

Information Access Team Assistant

 

[2][email address]

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3AW

 

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Dear Christine Abdy (0161 923 6421),

Thank you for your email requesting clarification. You wrote:

'In relation to questions 3, 4 and 5 below, could you please clarify the date range you would like us to look at. For example, the 12 month period June 2019 - June 2020, or the full year 2019 plus 2020 to date?'

I would like the information for the full year 2019 plus 2020 to date.

Yours sincerely,

J Roberts

J Roberts left an annotation ()

Table showing annual figures for erasure, suspension etc.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/n...

Link to recent Supreme Court judgment regarding voluntary groups who catch paedophiles:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...

Christine Abdy (0161 923 6421), General Medical Council

Dear J Roberts

Your information request – IR1-2719116201

Unfortunately we have not been able to complete your request in accordance with the statutory deadline under the FOIA, which is today, due to reduced capacity and heavy workloads.

I apologise for the delay, and I anticipate providing a response within the next 2 weeks.

Kind regards

Christine Abdy
Information Access Officer
General Medical Council

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Christine Abdy (0161 923 6421), General Medical Council

1 Attachment

Dear J Roberts

Please see attached our response to your request. We apologise for the delay.

Kind regards

Christine Abdy
General Medical Council

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J Roberts left an annotation ()

The link to the MPT decision is broken (the MPTS remove decisions after a year).

The decision, however, is available on the GMC's List of Registered Medical Practitioners (LRMP):

https://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/6032816

Also available is a decision concerning Dr Awan dated 27 August 2020:

'37 The Tribunal determined that Dr Awan’s fitness to practise is no longer impaired by reason of misconduct. It concluded that this decision was appropriate and proportionate to adequately protect and promote the health, safety and wellbeing of the public; to promote and maintain public confidence in the medical profession; and promote and maintain proper professional standards and conduct for members of the profession.'