WHITBURN DOCTOR JAILED FOR RECORDING WOMEN DURING CONSULTATIONS
A doctor from Whitburn, South Tyneside, has been sentenced to 14 months in prison after being found guilty of secretly filming women during consultations and possessing a large collection of illicit images.Dr Thair Altaii, aged 55, claimed he was filming women for "training purposes," but investigators uncovered a total of 19,000 images and videos of female patients stored on his home computer, all taken during his practice.
The court heard about three counts of voyeurism relating to two women between 2008 and 2014, involving 300 pictures, which Altaii denied.
Despite his claims, officers discovered thousands of images depicting women "in various states of undress." Impacted victims described the experience as "massive violation" and expressed betrayal trust in their doctor, emphasizing how their sense of safety was shattered.
One victim stated, "He violated his position of trust for his own gratification," while another mentioned, "I have suffered a massive violation - he violated his position of trust for his own gratification." The police were alerted after a patient noticed two mobile phones propped up during her consultation.
Investigations revealed that Altaii, who has a wife and three daughters, had "clearly abused his position of trust and caused inevitable distress to his victims," according to police.
The NHS advised worried patients to contact dedicated helplines.
Altaii was suspended from his medical practice and is scheduled for disciplinary review by the General Medical Council.
