Dirty dentist told he can keep working

A dentist who subjected female colleagues to sexual harrassment at a Falkirk practice has been allowed to work on in the profession.
Todd was allowed to remain in the dental professionTodd was allowed to remain in the dental profession
Todd was allowed to remain in the dental profession

While employed at the Clark and Watson Family Dental Practice between February and April 2014, Stuart Todd (34), repeatedly engaged a young dental nurse in sexual conversations in front of patients, told her he would send sexual material to her mobile phone and told her he was going to touch her.

Todd, who now works at Glenbervie Dental Clinic in Larbert, pestered the young woman for a date, bombarded her with text messages and told her he was a “dirty f*****” who was “anyone’s after two glasses of wine”.

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Todd also told a female dentist at the practice that if he saw her getting changed he would take photographs of her and put them online.

He also told colleagues he wanted to try “hard drugs” and asked where prostitutes were operating in the area.

The women complained to their bosses and Todd, from Edinburgh, was investigated by the General Dental Council (GDC).

They held a disciplinary hearing into his case where he admitted the charges and said his behaviour had been “abhorrent”.

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But the disciplinary committee decided not to suspend him from working and instead placed conditions on his dental registration including having his work supervised by another dentist.

The decision was challenged by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, who oversee the work of the GDC, who described it as “unduly lenient”.

They took the case to Scotland’s highest court, the Court of Session, in a bid to have the decision overturned.

However, three judges have now ruled the GDC was fair and should not be reversed.

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In finding his fitness to practice was impaired, the GDC said in a statement: “The Committee considered that acting in the manner that it has already found proved, you placed Colleague A in a compromising position and breached her trust.

“You were in a position of trust and authority and your actions breached the boundaries of professionalism. The Committee further considered that the comments made to Colleague B were unacceptable and inappropriate.

“The nature of the comments made to both Colleague A and Colleague B were of a sexual nature and the comments made to Colleague A were particularly explicit in their nature.

“You accepted that your behaviour towards both colleagues was ‘abhorrent’. This was a significant departure from the standards expected of a registered dental practitioner.”

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Todd, who qualified in 2005, told the committee he had been looking for someone to befriend but had overstepped the mark. He said his judgement had been clouded at the time because he was taking codeine medication at work because its “good effects” helped him get through the day.

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