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A senior hospital consultant who was caught engaging in sex acts on a train has been suspended for six months.
Dr Mark Elias admitted outraging public decency and was handed a suspended prison sentence in February 2025, after he and a friend engaged in sexual activity “in full view” of other passengers in the middle of the carriage.
The consultant radiologist, who is employed at The Christie specialist cancer hospital in Manchester, was referred to the General Medical Council, with a tribunal imposing a ban.
The panel heard that on 29 September 2024, Dr Elias and his friend travelled to Manchester’s Gay Village to watch a cabaret show. Both men consumed gin and tonic on the train, and attended several bars before the journey home.
They were spotted by a conductor on CCTV performing sex acts and were confronted and stopped.
At a hearing at Chester Magistrates’ Court, both men admitted the offence and were given eight-week prison sentences which were suspended for 12 months.
Dr Elias had previously claimed he had been “spiked” over the course of the evening, and had inhaled a “smoky substance” from a bottle, after it was “pushed into his face” while he was standing at the urinal.
He later withdrew the claim, with the tribunal finding that the evidence of this alleged spiking to be “contradictory”.
As a result, he told the tribunal “he realised instantly that he needed to stop drinking alcohol”, with his lawyer stating that he was “troubled by his personal issues and had sought appropriate support to address them”.
One of his colleagues, who was called to give evidence, said: “I would like to emphasise that Dr Elias has shown exceptional commitment to his rehabilitation and professional responsibilities. He has taken every opportunity to reflect, learn, and grow from this experience.
“His conduct since the incident has been exemplary and he continues to contribute meaningfully to the Trust’s clinical services.”
The tribunal noted it was satisfied that Dr Elias had demonstrated “good insight” into the concerns around his behaviour and recognised the seriousness of his conviction.
“However, the tribunal recognised that Dr Elias’ behaviour which led to his conviction was a result of his own recklessness of drinking an excessive amount of alcohol on 29 September 2024, and that he attempted to minimise and deflect the seriousness of his actions by stating that his drink had been spiked.
“The tribunal was of the view, taking all of the evidence into account, the weight of evidence of insight is not such as to justify a reduction from the higher end of the spectrum of seriousness.”
The Christie also said it had “carried out due diligence” and had found no evidence of problems with Elias’s clinical practice.
It also found no evidence that patient safety had been put at risk.
Before the hearing last month, Dr Elias had continued working at The Christie under interim conditions, but is now no longer working or being paid by the trust while he carries out his suspension.
