[ Post New Message | Post Reply to this One | Send Private Email to Cathy | Help ]

Psychiatrist to the stars 'seduced one of his patients'

from Cathy (cathyvpreece@aol.com)

Psychiatrist to the stars 'seduced one of his patients'

By Matthew Bayley

femail.co.uk

26th February 2003

A PSYCHIATRIST who works with celebrities was accused of serious professional misconduct yesterday over an alleged seven-month affair with a patient.

Dr Mark Collins, a highly regarded consultant at the £500-a-night Priory Clinic, allegedly seduced the young woman after she went to him suffering from depression.

On one occasion, he rang her in the middle of the night to demand phone sex, the General Medical Council was told.

The 33-year-old musician, known only as Miss A, claimed she met the married consultant socially three times, including a lunch at her home in Kennington, South London, where they engaged in a sex act.

Dr Collins, who has been charged by the GMC with serious professional misconduct, admits meeting the patient out of work but denies any sexual relationship.

The hearing, in Central London, was told Miss A, a university graduate aged 25 at the time, was referred to Dr Collins - whose former patients include Princess Margaret, model Kate Moss and comedienne Caroline Aherne - by her GP in March 1994 for depression.

Over the next two months she attended four appointments at the exclusive clinic in Roehampton, South-West London.

Afterwards, she asked if she could meet silver-haired Dr Collins out of hospital hours.

Dr Collins - who had given Miss A a business card with his mobile phone number - agreed and the couple arranged a series of liaisons over the next seven months.

'In those days I perceived myself as having an affair rather than being the victim of malpractice,' Miss A said in a statement read to the hearing by Nicola Davies, QC, representing Dr Collins.

'A while later Dr Collins telephoned me at 3.30am and asked me if I would masturbate with him over the phone. I was very surprised and angry and said, "No, I will not". My mental health then began to deteriorate after that.'

The hearing was told the couple did not meet again. However, two years later Miss A was advised by another psychiatrist that she had been the victim of abuse.

'I was ashamed of the way Dr Collins had treated me and I felt guilty for him, took his guilt on my shoulders,' she said.

'I feared I wouldn't be believed and thought I would be made a scapegoat.' Miss A, who admitted making a number of calls to Dr Collins in the following years, finally complained to the GMC in August 2000.

Dr Collins, who is in his early fifties, denies the charge. His lawyers yesterday asked for the case to be dismissed, claiming a fair hearing was impossible after almost nine years.

Dr Collins, the clinic's associate medical director, specialises in addictive and mood disorders.

Two years ago he won praise for his treatment of Princess Margaret's depression.

He also treated the Marquess of Blandford, 46, who has a long history of drug use, for five years.

He treated Miss Aherne, 38, after she tried to commit suicide.

Dr Collins lives with his wife Rosamund in a £600,000 house in Putney, South-West London.

The hearing was adjourned for the panel to decide whether the case should be heard in full. It resumes today.

Find this story at:
http://www.femail.co.uk/pages/standard/article.html?in_article_id=165554&in_page_id=2

©2003 Associated New Media

(posted 7702 days ago)

[ Previous | Next ]