Dr Manav Arora said he was 'stressed' at the time as he had been suspended from University Hospital of North Tees over false 'sex act' allegations
A hospital doctor who stole sweets, children's toys and Halloween masks from Poundland was let off with an official warning today.
Dr Manav Arora stuffed £10 worth of goods into his 'bag for life' before leaving the Castlegate Shopping Centre store, in Stockton-on-Tees without paying.
He was arrested and taken to Middlesbrough Police Station on October 11, 2011, where officers discovered his haul.
The A&E medic had snaffled Mars Bars, a magnetic timetable, two Halloween masks, a Santa pen and a toy gun, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service heard.
The medic said he was 'stressed' at the time because he had been suspended from University Hospital of North Tees over false allegations that he had performed a sex act on a male patient.
He had been accused of sexually assaulting the father-of-two after he arrived at A&E with a leg infection in September 2010.
The heroin addict complained to his mother who was waiting outside, but Cleveland police took no further action when the pair made statements more than three months after the incident.
The medic was cleared of the allegation this week after the panel, chaired by Dr Edward Doyle, found the patient's account was 'implausible'.
But Dr Arora admitted failing to inform the General Medical Council that he had accepted an £80 fixed penalty notice after stealing from the budget store.
The Indian-born doctor told the panel he had changed his name from Makhan Chor (which translates as Butter Thief , after the Hindu god Krishna) after coming to the UK.
The medic, who also accepted a caution for shoplifting in 2005, said he had gone to Poundland to buy chocolates for his son, but was feeling stressed because he had not parked his car properly and because he was suspended from work.
Dr Arora described his offence as a 'moment of madness', but claimed he did not realise he hadn't paid when he left with the stolen treats in his 'bag for life'.
Dr Doyle told him: 'Your actions of shoplifting and then failing to notify the GMC of your fixed penalty notice is behaviour that falls short of what is expected of a doctor working in the medical profession.
'The panel has concluded that your behaviour constituted serious misconduct.'
He added: 'However, the panel has noted your personal circumstances at the time the shoplifting took place.
'In particular that you had been suspended from your previous post, you were not working at that time, your income had ceased in August 2011 and you were subject to on on-going GMC enquiry concerning very serious allegations.
'Therefore, you were under both emotional and financial stress. It accepts that it was a difficult time for you and therefore your actions may not have been reflective of your usual state of mind.'
Dr Arora, who was suspended by the GMC in 2012, can now return to work unrestricted, although the panel did decide to impose an official warning.
Dr Doyle said: 'The panel considers that your dishonest conduct in breach of Good Medical Practice was serious and despite the mitigation presented on your behalf, the public interest demands that the panel record the seriousness of your misconduct by issuing a warning.
'The panel has concluded that the imposition of a warning on your registration will highlight that your conduct was unacceptable.
'The panel wishes to stress that this warning must be regarded as a serious regulatory matter.
'A warning does not prevent you from holding a licence to practise and does not place any restrictions on your registration.'
The warning will be published on the GMC's website for five years and made available to anyone enquiring about his disciplinary history.
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