A doctor at the centre of a flurry of sexual misconduct allegations has addressed the accusations against him.
Thomas Plimmer, formerly based in Swindon, is the subject of an ongoing Medical Practitioner's Tribunal which is looking into several accusations raised by six different women.
They include having sex at his place of work with multiple women, sexual assault, rape, coercive behaviour, threats of violence, and using lies and manipulation to maintain relationships with several women at the same time.
After starting on September 13, the hearing had heard from several women who had fallen victim to the doctor’s alleged behaviour, including a ‘vulnerable’ former colleague and several former partners.
But on Thursday, September 21, it was Dr Plimmer’s turn to give evidence and undergo cross-examination.
During the day’s session, Dr Plimmer admitted he had, at times, been insensitive towards people and addressed the ‘hurt feelings’ he had caused under compulsions from a sex addiction and the many relationships he had started and maintained at the same time.
But he denied the serious sexual allegations against him, and that these relationships were about power and control, or maintained through manipulation, stating that while he did ‘lie to fulfil a need’ he wasn’t being manipulative.
He said: “I do concede I was in relationships whilst I was engaging with sexual activity with others. But these relationships, if I can put it like this, met a different need that was not particularly sexual, more about companionship and being able to 'have a little bit of normality'.
"But of course, you're absolutely right, I did enter interactions with some individuals under the pretence of wanting a relationship, but regrettably that was not true."
He added: “I think a lot of the problem was that I wasn't thinking about any consequences. I was immensely myopic, very shortsighted and didn't think about the consequences of my action, which was wrong, and I feel a lot of shame about that."
Mark Monaghan, cross-examining on behalf of the General Medical Council, accused Dr Plimmer of “Doing whatever he wanted, and to hell with other people,” and suggested that he was not ‘bothered’ about the women he hurt with his actions.
He highlighted a situation where Dr Plimmer is said to have sent an unsolicited picture of his penis to a woman who was left shocked, leading to him apologising. But despite this acknowledgement and apology, he is alleged to have done the same thing again to the same woman.
Mr Monaghan said: " This isn’t, I’m suggesting, just sending an unsolicited picture of your penis to somebody you hadn't even been in the same room as, at that time it wasn't so much about having sex and the compulsions you've talked about, but instead an example of a desire to inflict yourself on someone whether they like it or not, there's no way that the woman receiving it could do anything about it.”
Dr Plimmer replied: “I was doing something she'd not requested, things are sometimes easier to do behind a keyboard or virtually if you're trying to suggest that's what I would do in person, I would refute that and never have I done that, but I do agree that it was the wrong thing to do, I'm appalled, there was no need to do that."
The tribunal continues.
If you have been, or are currently, the victim of domestic abuse or coercive control and need support please contact Swindon Women's Aid for help on 01793 610 610.
In an emergency dial 999.
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