Abusive pharmacist struck off for failing to show remorse and falsifying testimonials
Fitness to practise GPhC said the former Asda pharmacist, who was as first suspended for sending offensive messages to colleagues, had falsified evidence in his defence and that there was a “clear risk of recurrence”
A former Asda pharmacist has been struck off the professional register for failing to show any remorse for sending "viciously homophobic" and offensive messages to colleagues and falsifying testimonials to support his case.
Matthew Jonathan Smith, registration number 2052446, was originally suspended from the register in February last year for "deviously" sending disruptive messages while working as a locum at Newcastle General Hospital in 2006 and Asda in 2008.
At a review hearing on October 3, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) ruled that Mr Smith had a "profound" lack of insight into his behaviour and had falsified testimonials to support his case. The GPhC said it had no option but to remove him from the register.
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The GPhC ruled that Matthew Jonathan Smith, registration number 2052446, had a "profound" lack of insight into his behaviour and had falsified testimonials to support his case |
 More on fitness to practise
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Mr Smith started sending inappropriate emails to colleagues while working as a locum at Newcastle General Hospital in 2006. In one incident, he posed as the associate chief pharmacist to write a homophobic email to a member of staff, urging him to seek alternative employment and asserting that he would "not allow poofs to work in this department". |
In another email, he accused the same staff member of downloading and selling indecent images of children from the internet. Still posing as the associate chief pharmacist, Mr Smith threatened to pass his name on to the police as a paedophile.
Mr Smith also pretended to be a doctor and wrote an email to the associate chief pharmacist, branding him a "complete and utter imbicile [sic]". Shortly after sending the emails, Mr Smith left the hospital and no action was taken.
But Mr Smith resumed his behaviour at an Asda branch in Hartlepool in 2008, when he logged onto the pharmacy computer from home to write an offensive message about a patient. The incident prompted Asda to launch an internal investigation, during which Mr Smith denied any involvement in the matter and made accusations against other members of staff, the committee heard.
But once the police were called in, Mr Smith admitted to writing the message and the emails at Newcastle General Hospital. The police warned him not to repeat the offences and he was given a caution.
Mr Smith's case was originally heard in April last year, when the GPhC suspended him for five months. He was then suspended for a further 12 months after he said he could not attend his review hearing later that year because of financial constraints.
At the review hearing last month, the GPhC said it had received a number of testimonials in Mr Smith's defence, but discovered they were falsified. His GP denied writing a testimonial that appeared to come from him, which claimed Mr Smith was suffering from health problems at the time of the incidents. There were also false statements claiming Mr Smith had been a victim of abuse and had severe financial difficulties and describing him in "warm, eloquent and compelling terms".
Mr Smith had made "concerted efforts" to mislead the regulator and had failed to show any remorse, the GPhC said. It ruled there was a "clear risk of recurrence" and struck him off the register.
Read the full case here.
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