A family GP terrorised surgery staff with temper tantrums, made smutty remarks to a female receptionist and offered her a wage advance in return for sex, a medical tribunal heard today.

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

His abusive outbursts and violent tendencies terrified staff and patients at his surgery in Shildon, County Durham between 1995 and 1999.

Members of staff complained of having furniture thrown at them by the GP including a plastic chair and a glass of water.

The receptionist alleged Dr Bhagat offered her £50 a session for after surgery sex. He also asked her to buy him some cannabis because 'he felt horny'.

Bhagat was subsequently jailed for nine months in June 2000 at Teesside Crown Court after he and a pharmacist carried out a 6,000 pounds fraud of the Durham Health Authority.

The GP had dishonestly caused false prescriptions to be issued to pay for surgical supplies and drugs.

Bhagat - who has since been released from jail - was hauled before the General Medical Council in Manchester after staff made a complaint about his behaviour.

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

Earlier 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 was furious and started shouting 'f***ing social workers'.

"He had spittle on his mouth and was throwing his arms around. I asked him to calm down and he said 'I am f***ing calm."

She then told GMC committee members that she had heard Doctor 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 Bhugat 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 doctor Bhugat 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 f***ing load of sh**'."

Practice Manager of doctor 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 after 25 years of service.

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' and to 'f*** off'.

"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. The whole building could hear his shouting and one of the receptionists came in and stood in front of me because she thought he was going to hit me as well.

"I finished my shift but I was very distressed. I went to see my own GP because I was so upset about everything that had gone on."

"The next day he told me that I was going to be demoted and a few days later I received a letter listing things I had allegedly done wrong, most of which were fictitious.

She said she was told she would only be bale to do the filing in the afternoons and she never went back to work.

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 6th Miss A was working during the evening surgery shift. She says that earlier that day doctor Bhugat had approached her and asked her to 'get him some cannabis' because he was 'feeling horny'.

"When surgery had finished Miss A was alone in the kitchen when Doctor Bhugat came in. She asked him if she could have an advance on her wages because she was short of money.

"He gave her £100 in cash and said it would not be coming off her wages. He tried to kiss her on the lips and she asked him 'what the f*** do you think you are doing?

"He said to her that if she agreed to have sex with him twice a week after surgery he would pay her £50 a time (pounds) in cash. Between September 6th and 30th he continued to sexually harass her and made sexual comments to her."

The hearing continues.