On 14 August 2018 former Sunderland GP Dr Thair Altaii was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court to 14 months imprisonment after he was found guilty of three voyeurism offences on 20 July 2018.
Over 19,000 images of women were found on Dr Altaii’s laptop by police. The investigation followed reports by a patient that she believed she had been covertly filmed by the GP using mobile phones in the consultation room.
The photographs and video footage found by the police showed female patients in various stages of undress all of which had been taken in his surgery.
Dr Altaii from Whitburn, South Tyneside was suspended from his practice in Sunderland when charges were brought. In addition to his custodial sentence he will now face disciplinary action by the General Medical Council.
Taking intimate photographs of another without their consent and storing them on a computer is a criminal offence but also may attract an award of compensation for the distress suffered under data protection legislation. Our solicitors Richard Hardy, Andrew Freckleton and Katy Stephenson have represented a large number of clients in relation to data protection issues and successfully obtained compensation for distress caused by data breaches. If you have been affected by this incident or any other data breach please contact one of our team on 0191 565 3112 or email advice@benhoarestaging.local.
Blog by Katy Stephenson, Solicitor
