A child psychiatrist accused of leading a suicidal teenager into thinking that her depression was due to sexual abuse as a child was cleared of serious professional misconduct yesterday. While the General Medical Council found John Eastgate’s conduct had “fallen short” of the principles of good practice, it decided that it amounted to only “limited failings” and he should be allowed to continue to work as a psychiatrist.
The decision came after a six-day hearing in which Mr Eastgate was accused of “leading” the 13-year-old into thinking she had been abused by a fellow doctor when she was nine.While a brief investigation by police and social services found the allegations to be unfounded, her parents claimed that it laid the “seed” for her to make other similar allegations against three men, including her father.