UK psychiatrist Malcolm Darley suspended 6 months; solicited prostitute

Psychiatrist Malcolm Darley was suspended today for six months after a UK General Medical Council (GMC) hearing, in which it was revealed he'd been prosecuted for "kerb crawling" [UK slang for "driving slowly by at the curb, soliciting sex from prostitutes or other women"].

The GMC panel, sitting in Manchester, concluded Darley had shown a “pattern of dishonest conduct”, but accepted his remorse was genuine and that he was a “competent and valued clinician.”

The consultant worked at Arundel House, a mental health unit in Wavertree, and also cared for acute in-patients at the Broadoak Unit, in Broadgreen.

He was dismissed from mental health trust Mersey Care in January last year.

Darley, now of Wallings Lane, Silverdale, Carnforth, after moving from his home in Southport, was cleared in June last year at Liverpool Crown Court of having indecent images of children on his computer.

But on April 19, 2008, while he was living in Southport, Darley was arrested and later fined for kerb crawling. He also gave a false name to the police and lied to his employers. The suspension, imposed on Tuesday, will come into effect in 28 days.

Darley currently works as a locum consultant psychiatrist specialising in old age psychiatry, but it is not thought he operates in Merseyside.

The panel’s conclusions added: “You outlined the steps you are taking to address your behaviour and gain an understanding of why you acted in the way you did.”

Source: Liza Williams, "Kerb crawling psychiatrist suspended by General Medical Council," Southport Visitor, June 11, 2010.