Struck-off Doctor Who Sexually Assaulted Colleagues Seeks UK Registration Return
A doctor who was erased from the medical register after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two junior female colleagues has applied to practise medicine in the United Kingdom once again. Dr Humayun Iqbal, who worked as a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, was struck off following a misconduct panel in 2013.
Details of the Original Misconduct
The tribunal heard that Dr Iqbal touched the breasts of two female colleagues and attempted to kiss one of them while trying to force his hand down her blouse. During the hospital's subsequent investigation, he made several dishonest statements, including falsely claiming that a male staff member had informed him the allegations would not proceed further.
He also incorrectly asserted that there were performance complaints against one of the women and that she had made racist comments towards him. The 2013 panel concluded that his actions constituted serious misconduct, leading to a finding of impaired fitness to practise and the erasure of his name from the medical register operated by the General Medical Council.
Application for Restoration to the Register
In 2024, Dr Iqbal applied to have his name restored to the UK medical register. He has since worked as a cardiothoracic surgeon in private practice in Pakistan and as a consultant in cardiac surgery at a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. During the restoration hearing last month, he maintained his innocence, stating there was no evidence to support the allegations beyond the testimony of the two complainants.
"I believed that Britain was a fair and just society and system, and that I deserved much better," Dr Iqbal said. "How can a trial be fair without conducting an investigation?"
He suggested that the hospital had either destroyed or neglected critical evidence, such as CCTV footage, and framed the case as one of "misreading and misleading" evidence. Dr Iqbal claimed his only mistake was acting as a whistle-blower regarding forced illegal working hours for junior doctors, which he said led the hospital to initiate proceedings against him.
Tribunal's Decision and Reasoning
The General Medical Council representative at the hearing noted that Dr Iqbal had not accepted the 2013 panel's findings. Instead of acknowledging his misconduct, he focused on relationships with colleagues who might have had motives for false allegations. The tribunal was not satisfied that he demonstrated sufficient insight into the impact of his sexual misconduct and dishonesty or had taken adequate steps towards remediation.
Although the risk of repetition was considered low, the tribunal determined that a risk remained. They observed that Dr Iqbal's insight was "far from fully formed" and that he harboured resentment about his treatment by the hospital and the GMC. His focus was largely on his own perceptions of injustice rather than on addressing the panel's findings.
The tribunal refused his application, stating: "Having carefully considered the evidence and specific circumstances of this case, the Tribunal was not satisfied that Mr Iqbal is fit to return to unrestricted practise."
