A BOLTON GP has been charged with raping and poisoning a child.
Dr Stephen Leonard Hamilton, who works at Heaton Medical Centre, will appear in court next month to face 14 charges of raping a child under the age of 13. He has also been charged with one count of administering a poison or noxious substance that could injure or aggrieve a victim.
The charges relate to reports of historic sexual abuse, which allegedly took place between June 1, 2007, and September 30, 2011.
A police spokesman said: “A man has been charged following an investigation into reports of historic sexual abuse.
“Stephen Hamilton, aged 45, has been charged with 14 counts of rape and one count of administering a noxious substance.”
Dr Hamilton, of Gaskell Road, Altrincham, was suspended from his role at Heaton Medical Centre in December after police launched an investigation. NHS Bolton said it was a neutral act.
A spokesman for Heaton Medical Centre, which is based in Lucy Street, said: “Bolton Primary Care Trust has been made aware of the charges, as we have.
“The allegations are not directly related to his medical practice in Bolton.”
On February 16, the General Medical Council (GMC), a national watchdog of doctors standards, imposed eight conditions on Dr Hamilton related to his work, pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.
He must notify the GMC if he accepts a new post, not undertake any work outside the NHS, not do out-of-hours medical work and not undertake consultations with any unaccompanied patients aged under 18 without a chaperone.
A GMC spokesman said such conditions are generally reviewed every six months, although they can be revisited at any time if new information becomes available.
Dr Hamilton qualified at Newcastle University Medical School in 1990 and joined Heaton Medical Centre in 1995.
He has previously spoken out against the controversial Data Protection Act, saying it was so stringent GPs often struggled to find out what their own patients had been diagnosed with at the Royal Bolton Hospital.
Dr Hamilton is also a director of a company called Autumn Sky Properties Ltd, whose registered address is Heaton Medical Centre.
Six other doctors are based at the centre.
He is due to appear at Manchester Magistrates Court on July 17.
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