A NORTH-EAST GP terrorised surgery staff with temper tantrums, asked a receptionist to buy him cannabis and promised her a wage rise in return for sex, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Dr Ashok Bhagat, 52, was so aggressive that his surgery manager quit her job in tears after 25 years service, it was claimed.

The General Medical Council was told that his abusive outbursts and violent tendencies frightened both staff and patients at the surgery in Shildon, County Durham, between 1995 and 1999.

A member of staff complained of having a plastic chair and a glass of water thrown at her by the GP.

And a 22-year-old receptionist alleged Dr Bhagat offered her money for after-surgery sex.

Bhagat was subsequently jailed for nine months in June 2000 at Teesside Crown Court after he and a pharmacist defrauded Durham Health Authority of £6,000.

Dr Bhagat - who has since been released from jail - was brought before the GMC in Manchester after staff made a complaint about his behaviour.

Yesterday, Dr Bhagat, of North Road, Spennymoor, failed to attend the hearing and was not represented by counsel. He denies allegations of improper conduct towards staff.

Health visitor Patricia Bostock told the hearing how the doctor lost his temper and began a torrent of abuse over a referral of a patient in February 1995.

She said: "I went to see him about a young mother for whom we were trying to get referral to psychiatrist.

"I spoke to him about it and he totally lost his temper. He had spittle on his mouth and was throwing his arms around."

She also told GMC committee members that she had heard Dr Bhagat telling a patient that she should "beat" her child if she wanted him to behave.

She added: "I was waiting for parents and children to arrive at my weekly clinic and there was a young mother there with her son. She was waiting to see a doctor and was complaining about her son's behaviour.

"She was talking to everyone and Mrs Bhagat was there and she began sympathising with her and started talking about her own son and how difficult he had been and how she had hit him to control him.

"Then Dr Bhagat came out and said he had 'kicked his arse and kicked him up the stairs' to control him.

"He got very angry. I said 'I don't want to hear any more of this' and then I heard him saying 'And social workers are a ****ing load of ****'."

The practice manager of Dr Bhagat's surgery, Betty Costello, told how she feared physical violence at the hands of the doctor and was eventually forced to quit her job in 1996.

She said: "I remember one occasion when he called me into his office and said that I had left the covering letter off the urgent care rota that I had put on his desk.

"He really went to town with me. I said I could go and get it for him but he came out of his consulting room and told me to 'get out of his practice'.

"Then he completely lost his temper and threw a glass of water at me. The glass landed at my feet. I was terrified. Then he picked up a plastic chair and threw that as well. I really thought he was going to hit me."

Counsel for the GMC, Mr Paul Lawton, added that another witness - Miss A - claimed that the doctor had made sexual advances towards her after she had started work as a receptionist at his practice in August 1999.

Mr Lawton said: "On September 6, Miss A was working during the evening surgery shift. She says that earlier that day Dr Bhugat had approached her and asked her to get him some cannabis because he was "feeling horny".

Giving evidence, Miss A said: "He asked me if on Mondays and Thursdays would I put all appointments in before 6.50pm and he would give me £50 for sex after the surgery.

"I was disgusted and embarrassed and said, 'No I'm not that sort of person'. I didn't go to work the next day."

The hearing continues.