THE General Medical Council (GMC) is considering legal changes which would allow it to automatically strike off doctors who are put on the sex offenders' register.

Senior officials are holding talks with lawyers about the proposed changes, which were revealed as a full inquiry into issues raised by the case of shamed psychiatrist William Kerr was announced.

Kerr, 75, of Alne, near York, was placed on the register after he was found guilty at a finding-of-fact trial at Leeds Crown Court, in December, of indecently assaulting a woman patient 14 years ago.

But existing GMC rules meant he was not immediately struck off the medical register, although he was later suspended for 18 months, pending further investigations.

However, a former patient - who is now part of a campaign group pressing for the inquiry to be held in public - has received a letter from the GMC confirming that changes are planned.

It says: "The legal rules under which we operate do not, I am afraid, allow us to remove a doctor from the register purely on the basis that he or she has been placed on the sex offenders' register.

"If the rules did cater for this, I assure you that Dr Kerr's name would have been removed as soon as the outcome of the trial was known.

"In the event, we are discussing with our lawyers the possibility of seeking an amendment to the law in the light of this case," it added.

Kerr was considered to be unfit to stand trial as he was suffering from a brain-wasting disease and cancer.

He was found guilty of sexually assaulting a patient, but a jury also cleared him of a further four indecent assaults and two rapes. They were unable to reach verdicts on another ten indecent assault and two rape allegations.