Taunton GP who put bodily fluids in coffee struck off

A doctor who put his semen into a cup of coffee he made for a woman has been permanently struck off.

Former Taunton GP Nicholas Chapman, 57, was found guilty in June 2023 of attempting to engage in sexual activity without consent. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order.

Two years on, a medical tribunal panel has ruled he should be erased from the medical register.

In a judgement published online, the tribunal panel said “reasonable” members of the public would find Chapman’s conviction “deplorable”, adding they would be “appalled” if he were not struck off.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal document detailed how Chapman had targeted a second woman – referred to only as Ms A – over a number of years.

It said he had shown her photos of naked women without her consent and suggested she should look for him on an unnamed dating app.

The victim also said he had kissed her and, on a separate occasion, had pinched her bottom during a hug – allegations that Chapman denied.

The tribunal panel ruled that these actions were “unwanted”, constituted sexual harassment and created “a degrading environment” for the victim.

During the 2023 trial at Gloucester Crown Court, the first woman, known to the tribunal as Ms B, described the coffee semen incident as “devious and cowardly”.

She said she hoped to move on but would “have to accept that the mental and emotional trauma I have suffered throughout this will always remain with me in some way”.

At the time, Chapman was made subject to a 10-year restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim and was placed on the sex offenders’ list for five years.

The medical tribunal heard evidence from a doctor who worked at the same practice as Chapman.

The doctor said the impact of Chapman’s actions on the reputation of the practice and trust in doctors was “still huge”.

“There continue to be comments inside and outside of the practice on a regular basis like, ‘Oh we don’t talk about Dr Chapman’,” they added.

“Some patients are put off coming to the practice and some have a mistrust of seeking help when they need it, or whether things would remain confidential,” the doctor continued.

Handing down their judgement, the tribunal panel said Chapman had shown a “lack of insight” about the impact of his actions.

They highlighted that they had “received no evidence of apology, reflection, insight or remediation from Dr Chapman in respect of his conviction”.

While Chapman told the tribunal panel he accepted his conviction, he continued to maintain his innocence.

“Dr Chapman had undermined and breached the trust and confidence of patients and the public in the medical profession,” the tribunal report said, adding he had brought the profession into “disrepute”.