Dr. Raj Persaud
Source: CaribWorldNews.com
Celebrated Caribbean origin TV shrink, Dr. Raj Persaud, has quit his job as a consultant psychiatrist for the South London and Maudsley NHS trust after being caught up in a plagiarism scandal.
A spokesman for the Maudsley confirmed that Persaud had left. He told the Guardian, `This is a private matter between the trust and Dr Persaud and I am afraid that we do not want to add anything to that.`
Persaud, 49, admitted nine cases of plagiarism but denied deceit, blaming overwork and misunderstandings for sloppiness in acknowledging sources.
Persaud`s resignation comes just four months after he admitted plagiarism at a General Medical Council`s “fitness to practice panel” in June. Persaud was accused by Professor Richard Bentall in 2005 of copying passages of his work without quotation marks or other adequate reference in one of his books.
Professor Bentall noted that Professor Persaud has asked him permission to quote his work, which he had given, and Bentall had been sent a copy of the book.
On June 19, 2008 he was found guilty of dishonesty and bringing the profession into disrepute by the GMC.
It was announced on June 20th by the GMC that his fitness to practice was impaired, and he was suspended from practicing for three months.
Persaud was a regular on ITV’s Good Morning program and BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind, as well as a prolific contributor to newspapers and medical journals. In 2002 he was voted one of the top ten psychiatrists in the UK by a survey of the Institute of Psychiatry and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, published in the Independent on Sunday newspaper. He has written several books, including his guide to romance, Simply Irresistible: The Psychology of Seduction – How to Catch and Keep your Perfect Partner. In 2007, he was the consulting editor of a book produced by The Royal College of Psychiatrists called The Mind: A user’s guide.
Persaud`s parents were born in Guyana and Trinidad, respectively. His mother is the novelist Lakshmi Persaud.
