A MARRIED surgeon has been struck off the medical register after a tribunal ruled his sexual relationship with a patient has impaired his fitness to practice.

Dr Jonathan Beacon, 66, had an 18-month affair with a 39-year-old woman who was referred to him for knee surgery at the Elms Consulting Rooms in Hall Place Gardens, St Albans, following a motorbike accident.

At a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing on Monday the panel ruled the surgeon had breached his position by engaging in a sexual relationship with a “vulnerable” patient and banned him from practising medicine.

MPTS panel chair Dr Linda Buchanan said: “The panel has determined that Mr Beacon’s conduct has seriously undermined the public trust in the profession, and that an order of erasure is necessary to ensure the protection of patients, the maintenance of public confidence in the profession, and the declaring and upholding of proper standards of conduct and behaviour.”

The affair between the father-of-three and the woman lasted from December 2006 to July 2008 while she was being treated by him.

During the hearing the panel considered suspending Dr Beacon, who also held private consultations at the Spire Hospital in Harpenden, from the medical register but deemed his actions to be too serious. They also said they could not be satisfied his misconduct would not be repeated.

Dr Beacon’s name will be struck off the register in 28 days from Monday’s ruling unless an appeal is lodged.

To cover this period the panel has suspended his registration with immediate effect.

He was not present or represented at the Manchester hearing.