Work Pressures cause senior Dr to spy on 15 yo girl in the shower

Agreed. Started another thread here:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3814859-Ever-wondered-why-some-in-the-NHS-want-mixed-sex-wards-etc

Isn't someone's lawyer allowed to give any explanation/excuse they think is pertinent? I imagine they hear some doozies in many types of cases

I'm more concerned Goosefoot that "Fielden produced a number of character references to support his case from a string of medical colleagues including senior figures from the Royal College of Nursing and the London School of Medicine"
These are medical professionals supporting a colleague remaining as a practising doctor despite his (suspended) prison sentence for voyeurism and being on the sex offenders register It defies belief

"Fielden was later arrested in December 2016 and resigned from NHS England. His mobile phone was examined and it was found it had been used to trawl websites featuring underage girls and child sex abuse images."

Disgusting man.

Jesus Christ.

I was signed off work last year for two months for stress: luckily I managed not to spy on my colleagues showering after a lunchtime run.

Fielden produced a number of character references to support his case from a string of medical colleagues including senior figures from the Royal College of Nursing and the London School of Medicine

Yes. I suppose they may have thought that the courts would make the decision about what he was charged with, what they were being asked was what he seemed to be like in their experience of him.

But people often have quite a limited view of what other people are really like.

“Work stress” is the standard cop out for any male doctor arrested for criminal offences or hauled up by the GMC. It’s an attempt to muddy the water and appeal for sympathy - “Oh, the poor misunderstood chap never wanted to do these awful things, he was just so stressed, the poor lamb”.
I’m a retired (female) hospital doctor. My job in critical care and anaesthesia was stressful by its nature. I was off work for 5 weeks with the additional stress when my DD hanged herself (thankfully she survived) - but at no point did I contemplate leering at naked patients in the shower as a coping mechanism. This chap is not only disgusting and a disgrace to medicine, he destroys the trust so vital in the doctor patient relationship, and makes the job that bit harder for the rest of us.

I am in the NHS. High workload and very stressful. Managing very well to not to spy on teenager girls showering...

I work in the NHS. So depressed reading these cases.
I like the colleagues I work with, I have massive respect for most of the consultants I have dealings with.
Yet from time to time I now find myself wondering if some of the likeable, hardworking, knowledgeable males I work with have an alter ego/a dark secret...
NOT I stress, because I have any reason for suspicion. The opposite. Because I have no suspicions at all. Yet the evidence suggests I may find I am wrong in my character assessment one day. I hate feeling like this and thinking these thoughts.

Stress was also used as an excuse for this one downloading images of child sexual abuse -

"Johnson, who had been viewing pornography for eight years, told police he used it as a “stress buster” to relieve the pressure of working in intensive care."

www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m458

Babdoc Thank goodness your DD survived. So sorry your family went through that. I hope your DD made a good recovery mentally as well as physically.

Agree sarahj

Of course the excuses are 'allowed' Goosefoot, but everyone involved with putting it forward should be thoroughly ashamed of it, and too few are.

But maybe we should start acting on these 'defences' if they are so sincere. If he is saying pressure of work was a factor then we could take him at his word; clearly he cannot continue to work as a doctor because of the intrinsic stress increasing his risk, and there no job is without stress. So all we can do to mitigate his risk of offending, is send him to prison to do basic work in a supervised and controlled setting where even if he is super stressed he cannot have access to any young girls or children. Then we will see how many defence teams would claim sickeningly claim 'work stress' excuses in the future when all their words have consequences.

He is a disgusting man.

Other doctors supporting him ought to be struck off too.

At least he was struck off, unlike the nurse who had behaved disgustingly with a vulnerable woman's vulva.

It's a big fall from grace for him, I'm glad he has lost his marriage but I expect he will have no problems finding another high level job or retire on a big pension.

babdoc so sorry you and your daughter went through that

I too am becoming increasingly put off any male doctor and yes to wondering how many men have that nasty streak only just under the surface.

I had a delivery man push his way into my house today in a creepy boundary pushing way and I am sick of too many men being twisted bastards.

@Gingerkittykat What?! Is that from a MN thread or a news article?

Oh come on, there are loads of us on here in stressful high powered jobs. Which of us hasn't at some time or another perved over teenagers in the shower to decompress a little.

Bloody disgusting

Yes I feel increasingly uncomfortable with male doctors now.

Of course NAMALT and all that, and there are many amazing respectful male drs but I have read countless news articles about dodgy/pervy male drs that far outnumber ones about female drs.

However, so many threads on this website where the OP will say they aren’t comfortable with a male dr will get many replies calling them unreasonable and sexist, a lot of the time arguing that doctors somehow fall into a special category of trustworthy and professional. A male doctor is still a male, still part of the overall category of ‘men’ regardless of degree or expertise.

I am not surprised to read this. Sadly, we know that this behaviour exists and has become easier with smaller and cheaper cameras. What I am I surprised about is that he was able to get character references from influential people. Surely no patient would ever feel able to trust him again, even if it was an one off event?

Gingerkittycat I think the NHS pension regulator can withhold a person’s pension if they are dismissed for a criminal offence. I don’t think this happens often in these high profile cases as trusts often agree with a person they will resign. I don’t know what happened here.

Babdoc That must have been such a stressful time. Like everyone else, I hope your daughter has now made a full recovery and that things are better.

The pressure of work excuse is ridiculous. Pressurised women manage to avoid spying on people in showers and looking at child porn. It's a man thing. If you're really busy you dont have time to go creeping round attics and browsing porn sites.

Sex offenders come in all shapes and sizes. It's easy to think of sex offenders as sleazy looking old single men in stained trenchcoats, but in reality any man can be a sex offender even a respected doctor married with children.