Doctor who ‘had sex with women in consulting room’ compares himself to Friends star
A doctor who says he has a ‘sex addiction’ has compared himself to the late actor Matthew Perry and his drug addiction.
Thomas Plimmer, 40, was found guilty of several misconduct charges at a tribunal and now faces stage two of the hearing.
It heard how he had regular sex sessions at work when he should have been treating patients.
Plimmer claims he never crossed any boundaries with patients and said: ‘My behaviour was sexual. But I tried very hard to keep my compulsive behaviour out of the workplace as much as I could.’
He said what he did in his personal life was ‘wrong’ but ‘to do it at work was even worse.’
‘I did try very hard to keep it as separate as I could,’ he added.
‘Of course I had firm boundaries I kept in place – patient interactions, where I did not transgress.
‘I saw the boundary with patients as somewhere I was not even willing to go or wanted to go or thought about going.
‘Matthew Perry was a drug addict but he would never take heroin. Why take all the drugs but not taken heroin? It was a fine line but he knew it would be terminal for his life. I know that (sleeping with patients) would be terminal to my career.
‘Not only for the practice I was working at but with the GMC.
‘It was not remotely appropriate. That boundary was just a no.’
The tribunal earlier heard from one colleague of Plimmer’s who claimed the weekly sex meetings were ‘unwanted’ and sometimes forced.
The woman – called Miss A – said she was ‘groomed’ into sex and felt like she was a ‘sex object’ but Plimmer told the tribunal all acts were consensual.
She said: ‘As a man in a position of power to me it was completely ingrained, it was self-protection, it was easier to do what you are asked.
‘He knew I said no as he was doing it – and that wasn’t in the rules. He pushed those boundaries and they definitely did not include penetration.
‘I am not what proud of happened – and it is not what I am now.
‘This was a man – who was in a position of power – who did things to me without consent – and that damage is done to me.
‘Those scars will be there forever – it has completely impacted my life.’
It found the case against him was ‘proved and determined’ in relation to some of the counts and ‘not proven’ in relation to others.
Tribunal chair Claire Lindley described as a ‘complicated outcome,’ ruling he sentan unsolicited video of himself to Miss A engaging in sexual intercourse with another woman whilst at work, had his trousers undone, put her hand on his erect penis over clothes and masturbated in front of her.
An allegation she should visit a ‘Futurama’ suicide booth was proved.
Allegations of kissing, touching, taking out his penis in front of her and two allegations of penetration, all without consent, were not proved.
Threats to disclose information to her husband, slamming a door to hit her arm were also not proved.
Abusing a more senior position and using his power over her were found not to be proved.
He allegedly engaged in oral sex with another woman – Miss B – in the GP surgery during working hours and accepted having sex with another woman called Miss C.
Plimmer admitted sending another woman called Miss E an unsolicited photo of his penis taken at work.
In a conversation with Miss D it was also proven he threatened Miss F saying ‘if that c**t takes me to the GMC I’ll slit her throat. I know where she lives’.
He blamed his actions on his sex addiction and added: ‘Seeking out sexual activity felt like a need, and I did lie in order to get that need met, and I was not honest with people to get that need met.
‘But there was no sense of me enjoying this because I like lying, or it gives me power, or it gives me control, they were all byproducts of trying to meet my need.’
He also acknowledged: ‘I was a doctor absolutely, and I have a responsibility to be professional and to act in a way that upholds the standards of the profession, and I fell well short of that on many occasions.’
The tribunal will resume tomorrow.
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