Rogue cancer surgeon who lied about his experience to land £84,000-a-year job but then had sky-high mortality rate in operations must pay back £337,000 NHS earnings
- Sudip Sarker, 48, lied about his experience in order to obtain the lucrative post
- But mortality rate soared to double that of his colleagues, raising suspicions
- He is serving a six year sentence for fraud and now must pay back earnings
Sudip Sarker, 48, is currently serving a six year sentence for fraud after he exaggerated his experience in order to dupe bosses and land a lucrative job
A rogue cancer surgeon who lied on his CV to bag a top £84,000-a-year job has been ordered to pay £337,000 of his earnings back to the NHS.
Sudip Sarker, 48, is currently serving a six year sentence for fraud after he exaggerated his experience in order to dupe bosses and land a lucrative job.
But suspicions were raised over his sky-high mortality rate – which was double that of his colleagues at Worcester Royal Hospital and Alexandra Hospital.
A court heard Sarker had deceived a panel of experts by claiming he had performed over 50 keyhole operations solo – when he had really only completed six.
Sarker, of Broadstairs, Kent, was imprisoned in February last year after being convicted of fraud at Worcester Crown Court.
On Friday, he appeared at the same court via videolink from where he was told he would be stripped of assets to recover the cost of the salary he should never have received in the first place.
Prosecutor Jacob Hallam QC said the total benefit figure Sarker received from the trust was £347,214, based on spending half and investing half of his salary.
He said: ‘On that fraud, the Crown suggest it is the salary he got as a result of the lie and the defence suggest it’s rather different to that.’
Suspicions were raised over his sky-high mortality rate – which was double that of his colleagues at Worcester Royal Hospital and Alexandra Hospital (pictured)
Sebastian Winnett, defending, argued that Sarker had taken a modest pay cut to work for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
He said ‘Did he benefit? He says not’
He also argued that the majority of the work Sarker undertook during the period of his criminal conduct was done properly
Judge Nicolas Cartwright said: ‘I should proceed, should I not, on the basis that Mr Sarker would not have had the position at all if he had not committed the fraud?’
Mr Hallam said this was correct, arguing that the evidence ‘was essentially that he got the job because of the things he said that weren’t true.’
The judge made a confiscation order of £337,214 and Sarker has three months to pay upon release from prison, or serve another sentence of three years and eight months.
Judge Cartwright said: ‘I direct that the confiscated amount be paid as compensation to the trust in question, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.’
The court heard Sarker had available assets totalling £562,875 including a £420,000 house in South Kensington, London.
A court heard Sarker had deceived a panel of experts by claiming he had performed over 50 keyhole operations solo – when he had really only completed six. Pictured: A general view of the hospital where he worked
Sarker was suspended in 2012 and dismissed from his job in July 2015 after concerns were raised about the number of his patient’s who had died.
The court heard previously an investigation by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) found Sarker’s standard of surgical knowledge fell ‘significantly below’ the levels expected.
The hospital trust has paid out nearly £2,000,000 in damages to 19 of his patients who had sued the NHS.
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