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A doctor accused of sexual misconduct was previously struck off for lying about his qualifications. Dr Velmurugan Kuppuswamy was allowed to practise again despite objections from the General Medical Council (GMC) – and within months of returning to the NHS he allegedly groped and made disturbing sexual comments to junior colleagues. On Tuesday we reported on a medical practitioners' tribunal case against Dr Kuppuswamy, who is facing allegations he sexually harassed two female doctors during his time as a locum consultant at Withybush hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire . On two occasions he is alleged to have put a colleague in a painful grip and ignored her pleas to stop squeezing her. We can now reveal Dr Kuppuswamy was struck off the medical register in 2012 for lying in his application and interview for a postgraduate cardiology training position at an NHS deanery in England. He lied he had submitted an MD (doctor of medicine) thesis, that he was a member of the Royal College of Physicians, and that he had passed a practical assessment of clinical examination skills. Dr Kuppuswamy initially admitted the deception only to later retract his admissions. A medical tribunal panel struck him off after finding he had "maintained his dishonest accounts" and had falsely accused a witness of giving misleading evidence against him. The doctor, who had qualified from a medical university in Chennai in 1996, returned to India to work in a cardiac hospital after being removed from the UK medical register. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter . In 2020 he applied to be restored to the UK register. Opposing his application was the GMC watchdog, which argued that even though he had finally shown remorse his apologies were more than eight years late. The GMC pointed out the doctor had not taken "a relevant ethics course" while in India and that there was "a complete lack of independent evidence in relation to the nature of his employment after 2014". Dr Kuppuswamy admitted "cheating" on his application for the cardiology training role, which he accepted had been based on an "outright lie". He wanted to apologise to the unknown colleague from whom he "stole" the training position by taking their place, he said. He added that he was a "changed man who believed in integrity and truth". The doctor told how he had provided a "community fridge" to an Indian hospital in support of "the health needs of the poor". The tribunal panel said they found his evidence "compelling, heartfelt, and genuine". They noted he was no longer "defending his actions with excuses such as typos, computer crashes, and stress" and believed he was remorseful for "robbing a colleague of a career-defining opportunity". They also took into account a reference from a former colleague, stating: "Every patient he sees is completely benefited by the knowledge and experience of Dr Velmurugan Kuppuswamy. A doctor with a humanitarian heart and a noble aim. The whole medical world is blessing him with a true heart." The panel decided to restore his name to the register as they felt a well-informed member of the public "would not be concerned" to learn he was returning to practise. Shortly afterwards he became a locum consultant at Withybush and within months of starting he allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct, according to evidence from a new medical tribunal. While attending a party Dr Kuppuswamy allegedly hugged a junior colleague, touched her back, squeezed her waist and wrist, pulled her towards him, and smirked and winked at her. He is also alleged to have called her a "bad girl" in response to her making a comment about smoking being bad for your health. Dr Kuppuswamy is accused of touching and harassing the doctor despite her trying to pull away from him, telling him he was hurting her, and asking him to let go of her wrist. On one or more occasion he is alleged to have followed a group of female colleagues when they moved to a different area of the party and stared at them while they were dancing and again when they were standing in the kitchen. At the same party he allegedly made a "forward thrusting motion" with his chest towards two junior colleagues while playing table tennis with them. According to the allegations he told them they should use their chests as ping-pong bats and opined that being "well-endowed in that area" was an advantage in the game. He is accused of staring at a female doctor who was dancing at the party and telling her she looked good and to "go on keep doing that sexy dancing for me". While sitting at a table he allegedly pulled his chair close to the same doctor so he was touching shoulders with her, put his hand on top of her thigh, and squeezed near her groin. It is also alleged that while at work he received a phone call from a female doctor about a work matter and told her: "If you want to get in touch with me there are easier ways." On one or more occasions he is alleged to have sat very close to that doctor on a sofa, draped his arm behind her, and moved down the sofa when she tried to move further along. While walking to a lift he allegedly grabbed and squeezed the same doctor's arm, smirked at her, leaned in and whispered: "Cheeky girl". He is accused of ignoring her protestations that he was hurting her. The allegations state Dr Kuppuswamy created "an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment" for two junior colleagues in a "sexually motivated" abuse of his position. A tribunal hearing took place earlier this month and the case is scheduled to resume next year. We asked Hywel Dda health board, which runs Withybush, whether Dr Kuppuswamy continues to be employed by the hospital. Its medical director Mark Henwood said: "It is not our policy to comment on current members of staff or previous workers. We have robust policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of both staff and patients in our care and we take seriously our responsibility for their wellbeing. "We are committed to providing a safe, supportive environment where patients and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed at all times." Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice .
