A ‘completely predatory’ GP has been suspended for telling a vulnerable patient he would invest in her business, before eating and drinking her and then having sex with her in a hotel, a misconduct tribunal heard.
dr. Jaskaran Lidder initially convinced her that they should go to the hotel room together by saying that he “wanted to see her prototypes.”
The hearing revealed that his offer of potential investments gave him “leverage” on the already financially struggling woman, in his “pursuit” of having sex with her.
dr. Lidder, knowing his patient was “vulnerable, emotionally unstable and in financial difficulty,” then arranged monthly payments to “grow her dependence on him.”
He arranged to meet her at the same hotel for sex on two separate occasions.
General view of Galen Health Practice in London, where Dr Jaskaran Lidder was a GP
The tribunal ruled that Dr. Lidder focused on pursuing a sexually motivated “inappropriate” emotional relationship with the patient, and that he had “discredited the profession.”
He was removed from the Medical Registry to maintain public confidence.
The Medical Court Service learned that Dr Lidder had been qualified as a doctor in 2002.
The events involving the woman, known only as Ms A, took place between May 2013 and December 2014. Until October 2014, he was also her GP at Galen Health’s London practice.
The tribunal, by reviewing the WhatsApp messages exchanged between the couple, found that Dr Lidder had expressed an interest in investing in her company she founded in 2009.
It was learned that Dr. Lidder had made an appointment with Ms A at a hotel in May 2014 – who described the situation as ‘cloak and dagger’.
When she arrived at the hotel for dinner, neither name had been booked, and Dr. Lidder had left the room key in an envelope at the concierge desk.
After dinner, when he took her back to the hotel, he suggested we come to her as a room because he was “interested in seeing her prototypes.”
The tribunal heard that Dr. Lidder once there “grab her” and they started kissing before having sex.
Afterward, Ms A said she “felt like a prostitute” when he immediately dressed and told her he had to leave because he was on duty, despite drinking alcohol that night.
After their night at the hotel, the tribunal learned that Dr. Lidder had begun making monthly payments to Ms A to try to pay off her credit card debt – on terms he had set.
The tribunal heard she was told to “be careful with every cent you earn and spend” and not to use drugs or follow “foolish” people.
In December 2014, Dr. Lidder off to meet Mrs A again at the same hotel, again without a formal booking.
The tribunal heard that Ms A agreed because she “wanted to know” whether he would still invest in her company.
When they met, Ms A told Dr Lidder how she was struggling to lose weight that she had gained weight, and he “told” her to undress.
He then made some derogatory comments before she “finally” performed oral sex on him, the jury heard.
Later that month, Dr Lidder told Ms A that his circumstances had “changed” and that he would no longer invest in her company.
The tribunal heard that Dr. Lidder had been aware of Ms. A’s financial and mental condition during this time when she told him about her borderline personality disorder. When she told him this, she said he replied that it was “pretty clear.”
The behavior of Dr. Lidder was described by GMC’s counsel as “completely predatory” for a “considerable” period.
Tribunal chairman Damian Cooper said: “The tribunal noted that WhatsApp exchanges, for a long period prior to the May 2014 meeting, have involved matters far beyond an appropriate doctor-patient relationship.
The conduct culminated in sexual intercourse in a hotel room, apparently surreptitiously booked, in May 2014. Further sexual activity took place in a hotel in December 2014.
“According to the Tribunal, this gave Dr. Lidder more leverage in his pursuit of an emotional and sexual relationship.
‘Dr. Lidder has not set or enforced any professional boundaries. Rather than abstain from the flirtatious nature of the lyrics, he got on with it actively, and it was he who got them to meet in a hotel room in May 2014.
‘Dr. Lidder had violated the fundamental trust that Mrs. A should have placed in him and the analogous fundamental trust that patients should have in the medical profession.
He continued to cultivate her dependence on him by implying that he would invest in her business and pay off her personal debt.
“There is no doubt that his behavior falls so far short of the standards of conduct that might reasonably be expected of a physician that it is serious.
“He had harmed Ms A by his actions, undermined public confidence in the profession and discredited the profession.”
The court ruled that Dr Lidder should be removed from the medical register.
Mr Cooper added: “[Dr Lidder’s erasure] is the only appropriate and proportionate sanction to protect patients, promote and maintain public confidence in the medical profession, and maintain appropriate professional standards and conduct for members of the profession.”