A doctor faces being suspended from her job after stealing lip fillers and Botox from a former employer.
Dr Nimrit Dhillon was found guilty of three counts of theft by employee at Liverpool Magistrates Court in August last year. The items were worth £1,600 and the offences took place over a three-week period, the court heard.
After self-referring to the General Medical Council (GMC), Dr Dhillon could now been sanctioned for her behaviour and face an eight month suspension following a three-day hearing by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS). Documents made public by the MPTS set out how in May last year, the University of Leeds graduate, who runs an aesthetic procedures business, stole Belotero Intense lip fillers and 301-unit boxes of Bocouture Botox worth £450.
A week later, she stole three 100-unit boxes of botox and one box of 50-unit Belotero Volume dermal fillers, as well as an additional box of botox and fillers. These came to a total of £700, the Liverpool Echo reported.
On June 8, 2023, Dr Dhillon made off with four further boxes of 100-unit botox belonging to Facethetics Training in Aigburth worth £450. She was convicted in August and sentenced to a 12-month community order, an unpaid work requirement of 200 hours and ordered to pay £1,450 in compensation at a hearing last September.
After referring herself to the GMC, a visibly emotional Dr Dhillon appeared before a tribunal this week. Jade Bucklow, on behalf of the GMC, told the MPTS hearing how Dr Dhillon had sought help after her offending and had made “good progress” in recognising the wider impact of her actions.
However, Ms Bucklow said the doctor, who has not practised since last September, had "misused a position of trust" working in another clinic and its owners described the thefts and subsequent court case as the "most stressful experience" they ever had. The presenting officer said the conviction was "serious" and there was scope for more work to be done to rehabilitate Dr Dhillon.
According to her website, the doctor is "passionate about working closely with clients to achieve a refreshed look in a subtle, sophisticated way, without being 'overdone'. Paying attention to the finest details, she uses only the very best certified products to get the results you're looking for." It said she graduated from University of Leeds Medical School in 2012. She completed her specialist training in London, achieving full membership to the Royal College of General Practitioners.
In handing down a suspension order, tribunal members said there was no risk to patients or the public and did not feel the suspension needed to be handed down immediately. A report said: "The tribunal considered whether immediate action must be taken to protect public confidence in the medical profession, but decided that the eight month suspension period in itself sent out an appropriate signal to Dr Dhillon, fellow professionals and members of the public and would uphold proper standards of conduct and behaviour for members of the profession."