Bogus doctor set up fake surgery

Omar Antonio Becerra-Pardo set up a fake surgery

A bogus doctor who set up a fake GP surgery in south London has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Chilean Omar Antonio Becerra-Pardo, 31, pleaded guilty to seven counts of fraud by false representation at Inner London Crown Court.

His fake surgery came to light after Becerra-Pardo was arrested at Heathrow Airport in April with large amounts of prescription drugs from South America.

The arrest led police in Southwark to investigate his 'clinic'.

At the surgery in Draper House at Elephant and Castle they found more than 975 patient files, including 188 relating to children.

Vulnerable patients

Their investigation revealed that Becerra-Pardo had advertised his medical services through local Latin newspapers.

Pc Luis Castanheira, of Southwark CID, said Becerra-Pardo had no choice but to plead guilty in the face of overwhelming evidence.

"He has taken advantage of vulnerable members of the community, exploiting their concerns about visiting NHS doctors to charge them for services he was not trained to provide and that could have potentially put lives at risk."

Pc Castanheira urged any concerned members of the public who believed they had been treated by an uncertified doctor to contact CID, stressing that police would arrange for an interpreter if needed.

Becerra-Pardo was sentenced to a total of three and a half years in jail, less the 129 days that he has already served on remand.