POSED AS DOCTOR

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 144, 19 June 1936, Page 11

POSED AS DOCTOR

EMUNEEirS OFFENCES

PORIRUA AND TITAHI BAY

Pleading guilty to six charges of practising under the style of doctor, not being a registered medical practitioner, Norman Kenneth Sligo, an engineer, aged 36. appeared before Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court today.

Four. of the charges referred to events occurring at Porirua on April 7, 11, 21, and 30 respectively, and two to events at Titahi Bay on May 9 and 15 respectively. Detective-Sergeant L. B. Revell said" that in May'it had been reported that the accused was practising as a medical man at Titahi Bay, and that the charges had arisen out of an investigation by Detective F. Hay-

hurst. PROFESSIONAL MANNEK. In April the accused, who was residing at Titahi Bay, and who was known as a doctor, was called to attend a man suffering apparently from pleurisy. He examined the man in quite a professional manner, and ordered him to hospital by ambulance. While the man was in hospital, he visited him several times, and gave the authorities the fictitious name of Dr. K. Graham Graham.

In the same month, a Maori was knocked down by a motor-cycle and received a fractured leg. He was attended by the accused. Another doctor came along, and after a consultation with him Sligo recommended the man's removal to hospital, and visited him there several times.

Later, a child of three took ill in the district, and Sligo ordered the child's removal to hospital. He gave the mother of the child a certificate to hand on to the ambulance driver signed K. Graham Graham, M.D.

The fourth charge related to the illness of another child. The accused prescribed certain tablets, and administered half a tablet in a glass of milk. Some days later the mother became ill. He prescribed for her, and signed the prescription with the name ho had given previously.

On May 15 he attended a man suffering from a foreign body (a piece of steel) in his eye. The accused ordered the man's removal to hospital. When the patient was examined there by a registered doctor, Sligo gave his opinion as to the best methods of procedure.

A GAOL SENTENCE. "In addition to these charges, we know , that he has been passing himself off as a registered medical practitioner," said the detective-sergeant. '"Yesterday in the Supreme Court he was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment for false pretences." The accused had previous convictions for being in possession of dangerous drugs, for indecent assault, and for assault.

"The punishment for this class of offence is extremely light," said the Magistrate, "being £5 for each day on which the, deception is practised. A man like this could cause untold harm. It is no use fining this man, as he has no money."

The accused was convicted and discharged on all six charges, and was remanded for a week on a charge of being in arrears of maintenance.