A Northern Ireland GP hit a psychiatric patient with a frying pan and a wine bottle and said that shooting such people was a "good idea", it was alleged at a disciplinary hearing in London yesterday.
Dr Charles Gould (69), Shore Road, Jordanstown, Newtonabbey, Co Antrim, was alleged to have struck out at the patient after being called to assess him in his home in June 2001.
Dr Gould denies acting violently and unprofessionally towards the man, named as Patient X, and further denies making inappropriate and unprofessional remarks about psychiatric patients to a social worker who phoned him before he visited Patient X.
He also denies a charge of making inappropriate and unprofessional comments about psychiatric patients on a visit in March last year to the home of a female psychiatric patient, Patient Y. He has denied a charge of serious professional misconduct in relation to the charges, which were read out at a hearing of the Professional Conduct Committee of the General Medical Council (GMC).
The committee heard that psychiatric social workers had been alerted by the landlady of Patient X, who reported that his condition had been deteriorating. He was said to have been digging in his neighbour's garden in the early hours of the morning, being abusive and aggressive and "chatting up women inappropriately" dressed only in a small towel. It was also said that he had a bayonet in his trousers.
On June 7th, 2001, a psychiatric social worker, Ms Caroline Ewart, rang the practice where Dr Gould was based to request an assessment of Patient X, who was classed as a manic depressive. She claimed that the GP made unprofessional comments during a telephone conversation.
Ms Sarah Plaschkes, for the GMC, said Mrs Ewart recalled that Dr Gould became "highly agitated" during the course of the call, saying that psychiatric patients "ruined his day".
Dr Gould had said that on a trip to the US he had "knowledge" of three psychiatric patients being shot dead, it was alleged. "He said he felt that was a good idea and that Northern Ireland services could learn from that experience," Ms Plaschkes said.
Dr Gould had waited outside Patient X's house for police to arrive with two social workers, the GMC was told. Once inside the house, Dr Gould was told an ambulance would not be available for another hour to take Patient X to the hospital.
Miss Plaschkes said that what happened next had been a "matter of dispute" between all the people present at the house. Patient X had alleged that Dr Gould lunged at him, grabbing a wineglass which broke and then began hitting him behind the ear with the wineglass.
He also alleged, according to Ms Plaschkes, that the GP hit Patient X over the head 13 or 14 times with a bottle of wine and then grabbed a frying pan from the cooker and hit X over the head with it. This was alleged to have happened after X told the GP that he was "past his sell-by date", Ms Plaschkes said.
One of the social workers claimed she had seen the GP trying to pull the patient up by his shirt collar and that she saw Dr Gould hit Patient X. Another social worker claimed that she saw Dr Gould pull X to his feet and then hit him four or five times with a frying pan. But the GMC was told that a policeman present, named as PC Gray, recalled X becoming "agitated" and shouting obscenities.
PC Gray said X had lunged at Dr Gould with a glass in his hand and that he had received cuts to his thumb. The patient had also grabbed the frying pan, which Dr Gould had managed to wrestle from him, PC Gray reported.
The hearing continues. - (PA)