Doctor who had sex in surgery while patients waited outside faces end of career
A doctor who filmed himself having sex with women in his surgery while patients sat outside in the waiting room faces being struck off.
Dr Tom Plimmer, 40, sent a colleague his home made porn videos shot in the consulting room of his surgery in Swindon.
One of his partners was a nurse who was sent pictures and film of him having sex with dozens of women after she was coerced into a relationship with him.
Dr Plimmer, who appeared on Channel 4 show First Dates in 2018, invited two women he met on dating sites back to the surgery for sex during working hours.
He had sex with at least six women at his practice and sent pictures of penis to his lovers while he waited for the next patient to come in from the waiting room.
He was earlier found guilty of masturbating in the surgery, walking around with his trousers undone, forcing the nurse to putting her hand on his erect penis and sending unsolicited videos.
The colleague had told the hearing she began a ‘jovial’ friendship with Dr Plimmer with playful ‘innuendo’ about a chocolate rabbit.
But from March 2018 he confided in her about his sex addiction and shared around 5,000 phone messages with her.
One message said: ‘Can I tell you a secret? You’re my favourite.’
Dr Plimmer showed her 197 photos and videos of himself having sex with other women, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal heard.
On one occasion, in January 2019 he led her to his consulting room before placing her hand on his genitals.
Dr Plimmer later sent her photos of his head in a noose with messages saying he ‘couldn’t carry on’.
In September 2019, he was said to have threatened to tell her husband of their affair.
He suggested she kill herself by saying: ‘On Futurama they have suicide booths. Maybe that’s what you need, you should go and do that.’
Giving evidence at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing in Manchester he had apologised to his former lovers and patients for his ‘disgusting’ behaviour.
He told the hearing he has been ‘recovering’ with the support of his long-term partner, taking medication and attending Sex Addicts Anonymous.
Dr Plimmer insisted he had never crossed any boundaries with patients and likened himself to tragic Friends actor Matthew Perry.
He said: ‘Matthew Perry was a drug addict but he would never take heroin. Why take all the drugs but not taken heroin?’
Dr Plimmer said he knew sleeping with his patients would be ‘terminal’ to his career.
Mark Monaghan, GMC, accepted the doctor does not pose any risk to patients but added: ‘Our concerns are primarily with confidence in the profession.’
Tom Day, representing Dr Plimmer, told the hearing: ‘I respectfully submit he poses no risk to patients and there is no impairment on that basis. The risk of relapse is low.
‘If he were to work he would need conditions to support him.’
Panel chair Claire Lindley ruled that Dr Plimmer’s fitness to practise is currently impaired impaired by reason of misconduct.
They have yet to make a decision as to which sanctions to impose on Plimmer.
Between May 2018 and September 2019, he would approach her during lunch breaks and stood in the doorway, making it difficult to leave.
He would also enter the room with his trousers undone.
Dr Plimmer agreed he sent the woman explicit videos and engaging in sexual behaviour, but claimed it was ‘always consensual’.
He will face sanction on a date to be fixed.
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