A hospital doctor accused of speaking to female patients in a “hypnotic” manner has been cleared of sexual misconduct for the second time, after a medical tribunal reheard the case following a High Court order.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service ruled that allegations against Dr Neill Charles Garrard were not proved, despite the case being reconsidered after a judge found legal errors in an earlier decision.
Dr Garrard worked as a locum registrar in emergency departments in Hampshire and London and faced complaints from two women who said his behavior during treatment was inappropriate and unsettling.
The first complaint relates to March 2021, when a woman treated at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital accused Dr Garrard of chanting in a hypnosis style, touching her inappropriately, and telling her “you will lust for me”.
The second allegation came from a woman treated in December 2021 at University Hospital Lewisham. She said the doctor made her undress unnecessarily and spoke in what she described as a “weird” and “soothing” voice. She also claimed he asked her to wait for him after his shift and said unusual things while her eyes were closed. However, she later told the panel she did not believe he was trying to hypnotize her.
In December 2023, the tribunal ruled that the two cases had very substantial differences and could not be used to support each other. It found that neither allegation was proved.
That decision was challenged, and in February 2025 a High Court judge ordered the case to be reheard. The judge said the tribunal had wrongly applied the law when assessing how evidence from separate allegations could be considered together.
The court clarified that an allegation does not need to be proven before evidence related to it can be examined alongside another complaint.
The rehearing took place between 7 and 23 January 2026, during which the tribunal considered 20 charges against Dr Garrard. After reviewing all evidence, it again found that none of the allegations were proved.
In its ruling, the panel said the only similarity between the two complaints was the reference to hypnosis or hypnotic behavior. It concluded that this overlap was likely a coincidence rather than evidence of misconduct.
The tribunal said both patients were experiencing symptoms that meant the creation of false memories was possible. Factors such as fatigue, medication, hallucinations, confusion, or dreaming may have influenced how the encounters were remembered.
The panel noted that Dr Garrard was likely the last significant person both women interacted with before sleep and that his softly spoken voice may have felt hypnotic when they were tired.
It also ruled that the fact both women were alone, vulnerable, and presenting with mental health difficulties was not significant in supporting the allegations.
With all charges found not proved, Dr Garrard has now been cleared of sexual misconduct allegations for a second time. The ruling brings the long running case to a close following scrutiny by both the High Court and a full tribunal rehearing.
(Rh/ARC)
