Doctor jailed for child sex offences ‘struck off’

A SHAMED doctor who was jailed after he was caught paying for the sexual services of children online has been struck off the medical register.

Kieran Titheridge collected vile photographs and videos of children while working as a trainee doctor. Picture: PA

Kieran Titheridge collected vile photographs and videos of children while working as a trainee hospital doctor at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

And the 34-year-old also used his PayPal account to send a foreign woman cash to show him children being abused on the internet.

Titheridge was jailed for three years and four months at the High Court in Edinburgh in February after admitting the offences.

A panel of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service has now struck off Titheridge from the professional medical register.

MPTS panel chair Dr Wendy Kuriyan (CORR) said the doctor’s behaviour was a “serious breach” of the profession and morally unacceptable.

She said: “The panel has decided that the gravity of the offences for which he was convicted and received a custodial sentence could seriously damage the reputation of, and public confidence in, the medical profession.

“It considers that a finding of impairment is necessary for the protection of patients and the wider public interest, in particular the maintenance of public confidence in the profession and the upholding of proper standards of conduct and behaviour.

“The panel is satisfied that Dr Titheridge’s conduct, which occurred over a lengthy period of time, was serious, involving young and, hence, particularly vulnerable children. Doctors occupy a position of trust in society and are expected to act with integrity and not to exploit or be a participant in the exploitation of vulnerable people.

“The panel considers that Dr Titheridge has displayed a reckless disregard for the principles set out in Good Medical Practice and his criminal behaviour constitutes a serious breach of fundamental tenets of the profession.

“It is of the view that a well-informed member of the public would be appalled if a finding of impairment were not made in this case.

“In all the circumstances, the panel has determined that Dr Titheridge’s fitness to practise is impaired by reason of his convictions.”

The MPTS ruling noted that the doctor, who is currently serving a jail sentence at HMP Grampian, did not respond to a letter advising him of the hearing sent to the prison last month.

The doctor gained his professional medical qualification in 2011 and began his training in the geriatrics department at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Between June 2008 and November 2013, Dr Titheridge obtained a number of indecent photographs and videos of children.

When police raided his home, they seized his laptop computer, mobile phone and Kindle. Computer equipment was also taken from his parents’ home address in Arbroath.

Two indecent videos were recovered along with 366 photographs on various files. Skype chat messages also proved that he had paid for the live streaming of the sexual abuse of children.

Titheridge contacted the General Medical Council in November 2013 and informed staff that he had been charged by police with two offences. He left his job at the hospital the same year.

The panel ruled that Dr Titheridge’s fitness to practice was impaired by his convictions and the sexual exploitation of children.

The ruling said that no practical or workable conditions could be formulated to address such serious misbehaviour or to satisfy the public interest and maintain confidence in the medical profession.