Consultant who called junior doctor ‘bad girl’ and grabbed her waist struck off after tribunal says he ‘treated women like sexual objects’
Dr Velmurugan Kuppuswamy — known as Dr Vel — was erased from the medical register after the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) found he carried out a pattern of sexually motivated behaviour towards two junior doctors, Dr A and Dr B, between August and October 2021.
The tribunal said his conduct “fell so far short of the standards of conduct reasonably to be expected of a doctor as to amount to serious misconduct”, and imposed an immediate suspension while erasure takes effect.
Waist‑grabbing, wrist‑squeezing and ‘bad girl’ comment
The tribunal found that at a staff accommodation party in September 2021, he hugged Dr A, touched her back, and “squeezed [her] waist”. He then grabbed her wrist, squeezed it, pulled her towards him, smirked, winked, and told her she was a “bad girl” after she joked about smoking being unhealthy.
In her evidence to the GMC, Dr A said she “felt exposed” and that his behaviour “felt so wrong”. She told police she tried to pull away and told him he was hurting her.
The tribunal accepted her account, noting she was a junior colleague and that the power imbalance made his behaviour even more serious.
‘Sexy dancing’ comments and touching near groin
The panel also found he stared at Dr B while she danced, told her to “keep doing that sexy dancing for me”, and later put his hand on her thigh before squeezing near her groin area.
He followed a group of female colleagues around the party and stared at them while they danced.
During a game of ping‑pong, he told the two women they should “use their chests as paddles” and said being “well‑endowed” was an advantage.
The tribunal concluded the behaviour was sexually motivated, saying:
“His behaviour, which involved multiple instances of unwanted physical touching, was sexually motivated.”
Tribunal rejects his claim of a conspiracy
Throughout the hearing, Dr Kuppuswamy insisted the allegations were fabricated as retaliation for what he described as “whistleblowing” about another doctor’s performance.
But the tribunal rejected this entirely, stating:
“The GMC evidence has firmly disproved that this had any relevance whatsoever… The Tribunal was satisfied that the Allegation was not a conspiracy.”
It also criticised his attempts to undermine the women’s credibility, calling his claims “unreliable, speculative” and “false”.
The panel noted he repeatedly referred to the junior doctors as “girls” and was “reluctant to accept” the power imbalance between a consultant and junior staff.
Previously struck off for dishonesty
The hearing heard that his name had been removed from the medical register once before, in 2012, after findings of dishonesty. He was restored in November 2020 — less than a year before the sexual harassment took place.
An apology letter submitted to the tribunal did not accept wrongdoing, instead apologising if anyone had “misinterpreted” his actions. The tribunal said this fell far short of demonstrating insight or remorse.
‘Failed to act with integrity’
In its final determination, the tribunal said:
“The public ought to be able to trust doctors to conduct themselves with integrity… [His] behaviour represented a significant breach of professional boundaries.”
It concluded he “failed to act with integrity” and that erasure was the only sanction that could protect public confidence.
He will be able to apply for restoration in five years.
Health board response
Hywel Dda University Health Board said it could not comment on individual staff but added:
“We have robust policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of both staff and patients… We are committed to providing a safe, supportive environment.”
#GeneralMedicalCouncil #GMC #HywelDdaUniversityHealthBoard #MedicalPractitionersTribunalService #misconduct #struckOffDoctor #WithybushHospital
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