A doctor who groped a student nurse at Trafford General Hospital has had the conditions of his ability to practice relaxed.
Dr Imran Qureshi was declared free to continue practising with supervision in October 2019, despite having groped the breasts of a 21-year-old student nurse while “seeking a romantic friendship” with in 2016.
The former Trafford General doctor remains on the sex offenders register, but he was given the go ahead to practise again last year “after complaining he was finding it hard on benefits”.
At his 2016 trial, Dr Qureshi blamed his actions on “cultural norms” in his native Pakistan and offered the nurse a “deep-hearted apology”.
Prosecutors said the locum Senior House Officer had “ignored signs” the nurse did not welcome his behaviour, adding: “Given the length of time you’d been in the UK, you should have recognised [her] reluctance in light of your shared cultural understanding.”
The presiding judge at Manchester Crown Court handed Dr Qureshi a year’s community order and told him to complete 20 days of rehab – his name will remain on the sex offenders register until 2021.
The Medical Practioners Tribunal Service originally gave him a year’s ban from practising. Now, the conditions Dr Qureshi must abide by as he practices are being relaxed.
The father-of-two is currently not working, but will no longer be supervised as tightly if he were to secure another medical position.
The doctor’s lawyers applied to the Medical Practioners Tribunal Service for his conditions, including close supervision, a chaperone and a mentor, to be removed entirely after these had “proved onerous” for Dr Qureshi and prevented his return to clinical practice.
His lawyers argued the doctor had been “of good professional standing” before the incident in 2016.
Following recognition by the General Medical Council that Dr Qureshi had tried to fix his behaviour but that he had not been in active clinical practice for four years, the decision was handed down to relax the doctor’s supervision levels from ‘close’ to ‘standard’.
He will still require a chaperone and mentor, however.
William Hoskins, tribunal chairman, said: “These conditions serve to protect the public and uphold public confidence in the medical profession by allowing Dr Qureshi to return to medical practice with appropriate safeguards in place.”
