The GP who gave her son growth hormone to beat bullies

Rehab Al Jumaily feared her 13-year-old would end up as short as the rest of his family and be bullied, a court heard yesterday.

Yet the 5ft 2in youngster, who cannot be named, had been the subject of only one reported bullying incident at school.

He was at least six inches over the normal threshold for hormone treatment and half an inch above the average height for his age.

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Dr Rehab Al Jumaily: She faces being struck off today

Al Jumaily, who is 5ft, had used false names in writing prescriptions for the drug Genetropin which she then injected into her son.

The 50-year-old's deception was uncovered last November when a

pharmacist alerted the NHS fraud unit. He had become concerned because Genetropin is usually prescribed only by consultants.

Investigators quickly discovered that the patients on the prescription forms did not exist.

Al Jumaily had previously pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to three charges of deception.

Yesterday, Judge Michael Mettyear fined her £22,500 and ordered her to repay the £6,000 cost of the drugs.

The General Medical Council will decide today whether to strike her off the medical register.

Nick Adlington, prosecuting, said Al Jumaily, of Dunswell, near Hull, initially made no comment when arrested by police.

But later she told officers her son 'was small for his age and had been bullied at school'. Mr Adlington said

there was no evidence to suggest he had any growth hormone deficiency or that he had been seriously bullied.

'It was only on March 8, 2007, after the defendant was charged with these offences, that a referral was made to bullying regarding the child's growth,' he said.

Nick Dry, defending, said Al Jumaily and her husband were both short and their 16-year-old daughter had stopped growing at the age of 11 when she reached 4ft 10in.

He said Al Jumaily, a GP at the Marmaduke Health Centre in Hull, had noticed her son's growth slowing too.

'As a doctor she knew there was a way to treat it, but she also knew there was a proper way to go about it,' he said.

'She also knew it was a lengthy process and knew at the end of it, because shortness of stature runs in the family, he wouldn't be prescribed it in any event.

'She did what she did for her son with the best intentions, but went the wrong way about it.'

It is not known whether the Genetropin had any significant effect on her son's health.

Excessive levels of human growth hormones can lead to abnormal growth of the hands, feet and face, high blood pressure and excessive hair growth.

The drugs are issued to stunted children only after consultation with a specialist and following tests on the child's natural production of human growth hormones.

Al Jumaily had previously been convicted of failure to stop after an accident caused by her careless driving. Judge Mettyear said her reoffending indicated a 'flaw in her character'.

He added: 'It's certainly not the course of conduct you'd expect from a doctor.

Such conduct shows an unfortunate and arrogant attitude.'

He said Al Jumaily could be jailed if she failed to pay the fines within six months. She was also ordered to pay £1,200 prosecution costs and a further £3,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act.