A GP who faked blood test results to allay parents’ fears about the effectiveness of separate measles, mumps and rubella jabs given to child patients was today jailed for nine months.

Dr David Pugh, 55, had admitted faking four test results at the private clinic he ran near Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, in February 2003. He pleaded guilty to four counts of forgery at Cambridge Crown Court in November. Sentencing had been adjourned until today.

Pugh, a GP for 31 years, comes from Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, but in recent months has been living in Runaway Bay, Queensland, Australia.

Thousands of families, concerned at reports that autism could be linked to the controversial all-in-one measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab, paid £70 to have separate inoculations for their children at Pugh’s Elstree Aerodrome clinic, the court was told. The practice treated around 250 children a week and had a weekly turnover of around £17,500 at the height of the autism scare in 2002.

But parents flooded the clinic with calls 18 months ago after a newspaper report that inoculations given at the clinic might not be effective, because of the way they were being prepared and stored.

Pugh, who also ran a private clinic in Sheffield, offered free blood tests to worried parents in an attempt to prove whether or not their child was protected by the jab. But he then changed test results which showed that children had not been properly inoculated, to deceive parents and protect his business.

Pugh inserted the results of a blood test on his 26-year-old daughter Josephine, who was inoculated against the three diseases, into negative blood tests on two of his child patients.

His crimes were uncovered after a parent became suspicious and checked directly with the laboratory which was carrying out the blood tests. At first he denied falsifying any results, suggesting that they must have been forged by someone else.

He continued to deny any wrongdoing when he went on trial at St Albans Crown Court, Hertfordshire, earlier this year. That trial was halted for legal reasons and a retrial had been due to start in Cambridge in November. But before the second hearing Pugh admitted his crimes.

"Your decision to falsify reports and then to lie about them to these parents in these cases was a very significant breach of trust," said Judge John Sennitt, passing sentence.

"It not only affected the patients and their parents, but also potentially undermined confidence in your profession."

Anthony Abell, for Pugh, told the court that his client was "a ruined man". He has been declared bankrupt, his clinics in Elstree and Sheffield have closed and he is likely to be struck off by the General Medical Council next month.

"He was under the most immense pressure. He buckled under that pressure and he panicked," said Mr Abell.

"It is inevitable that he will be struck off. He personally has suffered a great deal as a consequence of the actions he took."

Mr Abell said 25 people had given character references for Pugh, including former patients and a former colleague.

Judge Sennitt imposed four nine-month sentences, to run concurrently. He will be eligible for release after four and a half months.

Ian Wade, prosecuting, asked the court to order Pugh to pay £2,600 costs but the judge refused because of Pugh’s financial circumstances.

Afterwards Detective Inspector Mark Ross who headed the inquiry said police were satisfied with the outcome. "The parents had put their trust in Dr Pugh and obviously that trust was shattered."

Detectives estimate that 8,000 children were given MMR jabs in Elstree and Sheffield. Seven families came forward to make complaints to police, while around 100 families are believed to be pursuing Pugh through the civil courts for compensation.

Among those are Jeremy and Denise Goldsmith, of Mill Hill, north London, whose son Noah, now three, contracted measles after being given an inoculation at Pugh’s clinic.

"He could have done serious harm to a lot of children," said Mrs Goldsmith. "He is a very greedy man. You place your trust in your GP, especially regarding your children, and he has taken away a lot of that."

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