A DOCTOR previously suspended for behaving like a Benny Hill character with nurses could be struck off for possessing child porn.
Paul Galea, 64, was convicted in January this year of possessing DVDs containing indecent footage of children.
A General Medical Council (GMC) hearing into his conduct began yesterday in Manchester.
The Warrington anaesthetist was suspended for four months in 2001 by the body for behaving inappropriately towards nurses at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust.
The hearing 10 years ago was told he unhooked bras, made sexually suggestive remarks and groped nurses.
In one incident, he chased a nurse around a patient’s trolley and tried to grapple her like “something out of a Benny Hill escapade”, the 2001 hearing heard. But, after his suspension, he rejoined the trust.
The Maltese-born doctor did not attend yesterday’s proceedings.
The GMC panel heard that, on January 31, at Warrington Magistrates’ Court, Galea was convicted of possessing the three DVDs. He was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, in March.
He also had to sign the sex offenders register, and report to police for seven years.
The DVDs contained indecent images of children.
Counsel for the GMC, Elizabeth Dudley Jones, read out letters from Galea to the regulatory body.
