A doctor has been suspended for six months after showing a female colleague an explicit video and engaging in a series of sexually motivated behaviours over an 18-month period.
Incident at University Hospital Coventry
Stavros Dimitriadis, a gastroenterology doctor from Greece, smiled as he showed the woman an indecent image and a video of himself engaging in a sex act. The incident occurred at a nurses' station inside University Hospital Coventry (UHC) in July 2023.
Dr Dimitriadis admitted his behaviour was sexually motivated at a tribunal last month. He worked at UHC between January 2023 and September 2024, during which time he repeatedly subjected the victim to inappropriate behaviour.
Other Inappropriate Behaviours
Around two months before the video incident, while he was a senior clinical fellow in gastroenterology, Dr Dimitriadis put his arm around the same colleague and told her he was "going to have sex with you before I go back to" either Germany or Greece.
He also told the victim he had slept with every nurse at a previous hospital and mentioned he had worked at and enjoyed visiting sex museums. He hugged the victim, claiming this was normal behaviour as "that is how people commonly greet each other in Greece."
Tribunal Findings
The tribunal panel said his conduct "fell well outside the boundaries of acceptable workplace behaviour, regardless of cultural background or unfamiliarity with the UK."
Dr Dimitriadis claimed he felt "socially isolated" in the UK, which he said was why he had "failed to maintain appropriate boundaries." He told the tribunal he was "shocked" to learn his behaviour had caused the victim distress.
Response and Current Role
He said he "deeply regretted" the incidents and had taken courses on professional boundaries, bullying, and harassment. He also claimed not to remember what prompted him to show the explicit video.
Chloe Fairley, acting for the General Medical Council (GMC), said this "raised questions about whether he had fully explored the underlying reasons for that behaviour." She added that his behaviour escalated over time, from flirting to making it clear he wanted to have sex with the victim.
Dr Dimitriadis, who earned a medical degree from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2008 and completed a master's at Queen Mary University of London, now works at a private gastroenterology clinic in Thessaloniki, Greece. He has also trained in Essen, Magdeburg, and Bochum in Germany.
A spokesman for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust said: "As soon as the Trust was made aware of allegations of inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature, the individual concerned was immediately suspended and the police notified."
"Prior to completion of the Trust's Maintaining High Professional Standards investigation, the doctor's fixed-term employment ended. However, we continued to support the GMC in its investigation."
The Trust added: "The Trust is committed to upholding the highest standards of behaviour and ensuring colleagues feel safe, supported and able to raise concerns."
