GP ARRESTED FOR TAKING PART IN A JUST STOP OIL PROTEST IS SUSPENDED
- Dr Sarah Benn, 57, protested outside an oil terminal in Warwickshire in 2022
A GP who was jailed for taking part in a Just Stop Oil protest has been suspended from practising as a doctor for five months.
Dr Sarah Benn, 57, was sent to prison for 31 days for contempt of court by breaching an injunction not to demonstrate outside Kingsbury oil terminal in Warwickshire in 2022.
After a conduct hearing, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) has now ruled that her fitness to practice was impaired.
The GP previously said it was her duty as a doctor to take part in peaceful protests against new fossil fuel projects.
The General Medical Council (GMC), who referred the case, said the hearing was convened due to the fact her actions at the terminal broke the law and damaged public trust.
Dr Faye Rolfe, for the GMC, said Dr Benn's conduct had brought the profession into disrepute.
But Dr Benn contested the claim and told the tribunal there was no evidence that she had caused patients to lose trust in her as a doctor or the profession by the wider public.
In its findings, the MPTS said the GP's actions did not give rise to concerns about patient safety.
However, they said there had been 'no acknowledgement from Dr Benn that what she has done by breaking the law was wrong and no evidence that she has taken steps to remediate her actions'.
Her case will be reviewed by the tribunal service shortly before the suspension lapses.
The MPTS hearing in Manchester follows Dr Benn's imprisonment after she was seen on a grass verge outside the terminal holding a sign which read 'No New Oil'.
The GP was jailed for 31 days after participating at the terminal on April 26, May 4 and September 14 that year in breach of a civil injunction.
Dr Benn, from Birmingham, says she informed the General Medical Council and her employer after each arrest and argues that her actions are consistent with medical ethics, which prioritise patient and public safety above all.
Ahead of the hearing, she added: 'I will be sad and upset if I am removed from the register, but that will have no effect on my future plans.
'I will continue carrying out what I believe is my responsibility as long as the government refuses to commit to stopping oil and gas.'
Three GPs are currently under scrutiny for climate change protests with Dr Benn's case being the first to be heard.
Dr Emma Runswick, British Medical Association's (BMA) deputy chair of council, was left concerned by the decision and said there was 'no possible public or patient interest' for a tribunal.
A spokesperson for the Doctors' Association UK, added: 'This is a story of a clinician being punished for raising serious concerns about dangerous inaction on the greatest threat to global health we have ever, or will ever experience.
'The right to peaceful protest is a basic human right. It cannot and must not be taken away.
'Given the evidence on climate change and its health impacts, we strongly believe that peaceful protest should not be viewed as condemnable professional misconduct – but as commendable public health advocacy.'
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