TV psychiatrist Dr Raj Persaud admits plagiarising four articles for his book

Britain’s best-known psychiatrist was publicly disgraced today when he admitted repeatedly copying the work of leading academics.

Dr Raj Persaud, once a regular expert on ITV's This Morning with Richard and Judy, had 'enriched' himself by means that 'any competent undergraduate' would know were wrong, the General Medical Council was told.

The consultant psychiatrist sat silently as his barrister confirmed to the GMC disciplinary panel that he admitted nine instances of plagiarism  -  the copying and passing off of other experts' work as his own.

But the hearing in Manchester was told he denied having acted dishonestly or that his actions constituted professional misconduct. Along with his TV appearances, Dr Persaud appeared regularly on Radio 4's science programme All In The Mind.

But it was in articles for newspapers and journals published in 2005, as well as his best-selling book From The Edge Of The Couch, that he was revealed to be portraying the work of others as his own, the hearing was told.

Several academics discovered that whole chunks of their own writings had been reproduced under Dr Persaud's name.

When confronted he blamed editing errors. But when the publications involved investigated the affair his accounts unravelled, counsel for the GMC Jeremy Donne QC said.

'The articles, we say, speak for themselves, and they all demonstrate the extent to which Dr Persaud has appropriated the work of others as his own,' he added.

'Dishonesty can be inferred from his repeated conduct in plagiarising the work of academics, thereby enhancing his professional reputation and standing with the public as well as enriching himself in the process.

'All of this at the expense of the hard work and scholarship of other people.'

In his 2003 book Dr Persaud covered a range of unusual cases highlighted by other psychiatrists. Although their names were mentioned at the back of the book their words were reproduced as Dr Persaud's own, giving the false impression that the analysis and insights were also his, said Mr Donne.

'Any competent undergraduate knows the difference between quoting and copying,' he added. In one instance, two pages were lifted wholesale from an article by three other academics.

Elsewhere, Dr Persaud would substitute the occasional word.

Psychiatrist Rhodri Huws, among those plagiarised, said in a statement that Dr Persaud had merely 'changed the odd word to fit in with the style of his book'.

In addition, Dr Persaud, a consultant for the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and formerly an honorary lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, had been 'less than truthful' when challenged, the barrister added.

As 'one of the country's best known psychiatrists' Mr Donne said his behaviour mattered all the more as it had 'almost certainly' already brought his profession into disrepute.

If found guilty of misconduct Dr Persaud could be struck off.

The hearing continues.