A FORMER GP broke patient confidentiality to frame an opponent in a court case, a medical panel heard.

Dr Dev Dutt, who ran Fartown Health Centre in Spaines Road, is accused of malpractice between 1985 and 2005 by 11 patients, .

The evidence is being heard at a General Medical Council hearing in Manchester.

Yesterday, the fitness to practise panel heard how Dr Dutt, 66, had abused his position in a Huddersfield County Court case.

In the case, which Dr Dutt lost, he had accused Fixby couple Julie and David Ruddiman of harassment.

In June, 2004, Dr Dutt told the county court: “Mr Ruddiman is telling such malicious and fictitious lies… I know from his past medical records that he is quite capable of doing that.’’

The panel heard that Dr Dutt had described Mr Ruddiman as a pathological liar in his patient notes – an observation the GMC says was irrelevant and unprofessional.

Panel members heard Dr Dutt had duped a patient with poor eyesight into signing a letter – addressed to then Huddersfield Central Primary Care Trust chief Kevin Holder – by inaccurately reading the letter.

The panel was told that in 2004 Dr Dutt had failed to properly examine a patient with heavily vaginal bleeding.

Following a complaint to the trust Dr Dutt is accused of failing to explain himself or apologise to his patient.

He is also accused of putting patients at unnecessary risk by making inappropriate prescriptions, failing to monitor his patients’ conditions and neglecting to keep systems for addressing chronic conditions.

The former GP is alleged to have failed to keep clear, accurate and legible records for nine of his patients.

He stands accused of neglecting to document his patients’ history, clinical findings or reasons for his decisions.

The panel heard that Dr Dutt is also accused of keeping his practice in a disorderly state and neglecting to store confidential information securely.

The panel heard from Graham Jepson, the manager of Fartown Health Centre from 2002.

Mr Jepson said the surgery has been run informally, with little computerisation and there had been no formal systems for repeat prescriptions. But this was normal for small practices.

Mr Jepson said Dr Dutt had seemed a very good doctor and was committed to his surgery.

Mr Jepson said he and Dr Dutt had started to put systems into place.

The hearing continues.