Doctor escapes with warning after terrorising neighbour

A FAMILY doctor has been warned about his conduct by the General Medical Council after being convicted of breach of the peace for intimidating a neighbour outside their exclusive Edinburgh homes.

Dr John McCallum, 51, who was fined £2,500, reduced to £750 on appeal, chose not to contest the decision at a hearing in Manchester.

He and his wife Michele, 45, who was also convicted of breach of the peace following the same incident, and fined £2,500, reduced to £400 on appeal, have moved since the dispute and now hope to put it behind them.

Dr McCallum, a £100,000-a-year medical director at Edinburgh Travel Health Clinic, said: “We had a very unhappy relationship with our neighbours for a long period.

“We initially got on quite well with them, but it later went downhill,” he added. “When the relationship really deteriorated, we probably should have moved sooner.

“We’re just going to try to move on and get on with normal life.”

The incident with their neighbour, Rosaline Kinder, 49, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh, happened on 25 September, 2008. It was alleged that Mrs Kinder had narrowly missed hitting three of the McCallum children while driving out of her driveway.

Mrs Kinder said the claim was a lie and when she arrived home in her 4x4 vehicle with her fiveyear-old son, Dr McCallum stood in the entrance and prevented her reversing into the driveway.

“He was staring at me fiercely. He did not move … I was very scared. He looked very drunk,” she told the trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Mrs McCallum appeared on the scene. Mrs Kinder added: “She tried to pull the door open … I managed to get it locked. I thought she was going to hit me.”

Sheriff Graeme Warner described it as “the most outrageous” breach of the peace of its kind that he had experienced in 20 years on the bench. And, although the Justiciary Appeal Court in Edinburgh reduced the couple’s sentences on appeal, it did not overturn Dr McCallum’s conviction.

This, the GMC believed, risked bringing the medical profession into disrepute. It issued Dr McCallum with a warning, which will stay on record until January 2017.

In a summary explaining the reasons for the warning, the GMC said: “On 27 November, 2009, Dr McCallum was convicted of breach of the peace.

“This conduct does not meet with the standards required of a doctor. It risks bringing the profession into disrepute and it must not be repeated. The required standards are set out in ‘Good Medical Practice’ and associated guidance.

“In this case, paragraph 57 of ‘Good Medical Practice’ is particularly relevant, ‘You must make sure that your conduct at all times justifies your patients’ trust in you and the public’s trust in the profession.’”

Dr McCallum said he regretted the “lapse” and respected the GMC’s decision. He never sought to challenge the warning, only some factual details in the GMC’s final report.

“It’s irrefutable that I was convicted of breach of the peace,” he said. “They are displeased that I brought the medical profession into disrepute.

“The last thing patients want to see is their GP in the newspapers. So that’s understandable and a position I support.”

Mrs Kinder was unavailable for comment.