A doctor yesterday spoke of his relief after he was cleared by the General Medical Council of making unwanted advances to a single mother after treating her daughter for whooping cough.

Dr Harpreet Singh, 33, said after the hearing: "I am very happy, I maintained throughout I was not guilty of misconduct."

With his wife by his side Dr Singh said: "Towards the patient's mother I always dealt with her in a most professional way. I can't pass comments on her. As far as I was concerned I was clear in my heart. It has been 20 months since it happened. I've been under a lot of pressure during this time. I'm just glad it's over."

Dr Singh, a paediatrician, was cleared of serious professional misconduct by the GMC after a two-day hearing.

Manny Devaux, chairman of the professional conduct committee, said that the facts admitted by Dr Singh were insufficient to support a finding of serious professional misconduct.

Dr Singh had admitted giving two boxes of chocolates to the 25-year-old woman's five-year-old daughter and visiting her at her work place, Scruffy Murphy's in Durham. But he denied inviting her out for a meal on July 17, 1999 and following that with a flurry of seven phone calls to her home and work.

Earlier yesterday a series of allegations made against the paediatrician by the woman were dropped due to insufficient evidence.

Dr Singh, of Wolsingham Drive, Durham, was cleared of serious professional misconduct.