GMC suspends climate action doctor over 'repeated law breaking'

A doctor who went to prison following a series of climate protests has been taken off the medical register for five months, and still faces being permanently struck off.

- Isabella Kaminski

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), the disciplinary arm of the General Medical Council (GMC), yesterday suspended Dr Sarah Benn, having stated last week that her fitness to practise as a doctor had been impaired by reason of misconduct.

Benn was the first of three GPs facing being struck off for climate activism this year. She was referred to the MPTS after being found guilty of contempt of court for breaching a civil injunction at Kingsbury oil terminal, Warwickshire, as part of a Just Stop Oil campaign. That action led to her spending 32 days in prison.

In its decision, the tribunal noted that Benn's actions did not give rise to concerns about patient safety. But it said there had been "no acknowledgment from Dr Benn that what she has done by breaking the law was wrong, and no evidence that she has taken steps to remediate her actions". It found there was a "strong likelihood of repetition", after Benn said she would continue her actions.