NHS doctor who spied on men in toilets said he only wanted to compare penis size
An NHS doctor who was jailed for installing secret cameras to spy on colleagues and tenants has been struck off.
Ju Young Um, 34, hid the devices in air fresheners and a smoke alarm in the bathroom and bedroom of his flat and in staff accommodation at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.
The anaesthetist recorded 30 different people and claimed he used the footage to compare himself to other men due to concerns over the size of his penis.
He was jailed for 18 months in May last year after a jury at Glasgow Sheriff Court found him guilty of a total of 23 charges of voyeurism under the Sexual Offences Act. His name was also added to the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
Um, 34, of Hyndland, Glasgow, has now appeared before a disciplinary panel of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS).
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He was struck off after the panel found his fitness to practice was impaired and that there was a ‘high risk’ of him reoffending.
A total of 21 men and nine women, four of whom were doctors, were filmed by Um between November 2020 and August 2023.
Um initially recorded his first victim in secret through a window as he showered, using a mobile phone.
Um rented out a room in his flat on Airbnb and was caught when one victim became suspicious of two air fresheners, which appeared to be facing the toilet and the shower.
In evidence submitted to the MPTS, Um, who was released from prison earlier this month, accepted for the first time that his actions were sexually motivated and not solely because of insecurities over his body.
He said: ‘So I now accept that at that time I was suppressing sexual needs as part of my denial of sexual gratification.
‘I would say, however, that there was a duality of motivation in that, but for the Body Dysmorphic Disorder, I would not have acted as I did, but I accept I only focused on my BDD to explain my actions.’
He added: ‘I also now realise I was deluding myself that sexual gratification was not part of my motivation, whereas in reality I derived pleasure from my viewing of the images.
‘I fully understand the negative impacts they must have had on my victims. I deeply regret what I have done to them and wish to express my sincerest apologies.’
Issuing the decision to erase Um’s name from the medical register, MPTS tribunal chair Claire Lindley said: ‘The Tribunal determined there was a high risk to each limb of public protection in this case.
‘It noted that he at present remains on licence, and is on the Sex Offenders’ Register. The Tribunal also took the view that, given the nature of Dr Um’s convictions, a fully informed member of the public would be shocked if a finding of impairment were not made.’
They added: ‘It is considered that his behaviour would undermine public confidence in the medical profession and proper professional standards. It was decided that, unless Dr Um fully remediates his actions, patients must also be at risk.’
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