Forged jab results doctor jailed

Dr David Pugh offered vaccinations at a private clinic

A GP who faked children's blood test results to prove the effectiveness of the single measles, mumps and rubella jabs has been jailed for nine months.

Dr David Pugh, 55, admitted faking four test results in February 2003 at the clinic he ran near Borehamwood, Herts.

He used the tests to pacify parents after concerns were raised about the quality of immunisation he offered.

Pugh pleaded guilty to four counts of forgery at a hearing at Cambridge Crown Court in November.

Hugely successful

The court had earlier heard that thousands of families paid to have separate jabs at Pugh's Elstree Aerodrome clinic after reports linked the all-in-one MMR vaccine with autism.

The practice was hugely successful - treating 250 children a week - and had a turnover of about £17,500 a week at the height of the autism scare in 2002.

But parents flooded the clinic with calls 18 months ago, after a newspaper reported that inoculations given at the clinic might not be effective because of the way they were being prepared and stored.

Pugh, who comes from Hoddesdon, Herts, but has been living in Runaway Bay, Queensland, Australia, offered free blood tests to parents in an attempt to prove whether or not children were inoculated.

Deceive parents

He then changed blood test results which showed that children had not been properly inoculated to deceive parents and protect his business, the court was told.

Pugh inserted results of a blood test on his 26-year-old daughter Josephine, who was inoculated against the three diseases, and presented these as bona fide findings from tests on his child patients.

Pugh had denied any wrongdoing when he went on trial at St Albans Crown Court earlier this year.

That trial was halted for legal reasons and a retrial had been due to start in November.

But before the second hearing Pugh admitted his crimes.