'Bloodgate' physio is struck off by HPC panel

Former Harlequins physiotherapist Steph Brennan's career is in tatters after he was struck off for misconduct following his role in rugby union's infamous Bloodgate scandal.

In reaching its decision, the Health Professions Council conduct and competence committee slammed Brennan's behaviour as "dishonest" and "premeditated."

Brennan faced a two-day hearing in London following events during and after Harlequins' Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leinster at Twickenham Stoop in April last year.

Brennan accepted all but one of the allegations laid before him, denying that "by reason of your misconduct, your fitness to practice is impaired."

The three-member HPC panel could have issued a caution or period of suspension, but decided that striking him off was a sanction "necessary for the public and other professionals to understand that behaviour of this sort is unacceptable."

Brennan is currently serving a two-year suspension from rugby, and for the past 12 months has been working in private practice. He admitted to five instances - including Bloodgate - of faking blood injuries.

Allegations against him included that in the course of his employment with Quins he knew of, and/or organised, and/or assisted in the fabrication of a blood injury to Harlequins wing Tom Williams during the Leinster tie.

To this extent, Brennan was alleged to have purchased fake blood capsules, provided a fake capsule to Williams and knew at the time it was an attempt to cheat.

Quins wanted to get goalkicker Nick Evans, who had earlier left the field injured, back on in an attempt to retrieve a game they eventually lost 6-5.

Other allegations centred on an attempt to conceal the blood injury to Williams, that Brennan provided untruthful and/or inaccurate evidence during the course of a subsequent European Rugby Cup disciplinary hearing and he was involved in fabricating blood injuries on a number of occasions in games other than the Heineken quarter-final.

Brennan yesterday spoke of his remorse for his role in Bloodgate, an episode that also saw Quins' ex-rugby director Dean Richards receive a three-year worldwide coaching ban and the club fined 258,000.

Wendy Chapman though, a doctor at the centre of Bloodgate, was told at a General Medical Council hearing in Manchester last month that she could return to practising medicine.

Chapman, who worked as Quins team doctor, cut Williams' lip to cover up the bogus injury, but a GMC disciplinary panel ruled that her fitness to practise was unimpaired, although she was issued with a formal warning.