PHILIPP BONHOEFFER STRUCK OFF MEDICAL REGISTER IN LONDON DUE TO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS
In September 2012, former cardiologist Philipp Bonhoeffer, formerly associated with Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, was removed from the medical register after being found guilty of molesting boys.A hearing by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service concluded on Friday that Bonhoeffer had engaged in sexually motivated conduct, including inappropriate touching of children in Kenya and France.
The tribunal panel ruled that Professor Bonhoeffer’s fitness to practice was impaired due to misconduct and decided to erase him from the register.
Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, the panel described his conduct as involving a 'deep-seated behavioural problem.' Professor Bonhoeffer, who was employed at GOSH from 2001 and served as head of cardiology from 2002 until his dismissal in May 2010, was found guilty of inappropriately touching a 10-year-old boy in France in 1997, and acting inappropriately towards boys in Kenya.
Panel chairman David Kyle stated, 'The panel is of the view that Professor Bonhoeffer’s case represents one of the most serious forms of abuse, both of young boys and of his own privileged position as a member of the medical profession.' The Manchester tribunal confirmed that Bonhoeffer engaged in inappropriate conduct during his charitable medical work in Kenya between 1993 and 2008.
The evidence showed that in 1995, during an overnight stay at a camp in Kenya, he behaved in a sexually motivated manner towards a 13-year-old boy.
Additionally, Bonhoeffer was found to have touched a 16-year-old Kenyan boy sexually, claiming that such conduct was normal and acceptable in Europe.
A spokesperson for GOSH stated that Bonhoeffer ceased seeing patients at the hospital in 2009, reassuring that the hearing was unrelated to his hospital duties.
Meanwhile, Bonhoeffer’s lawyers issued a statement affirming his denial of the allegations, adding, 'He has no intention of resuming the practice of medicine in the United Kingdom.
He no longer has any confidence in the fairness of the process or, given the history of the case, that the proceedings will be concluded in a timely way.'
