Vet’s final cut
Veterinary surgeon who injured animals was appealing to UK’s highest judges
The deputy president of the UK Supreme Court and two other justices had been due to spend today hearing an appeal by a vet from Bedfordshire who was struck off last year for “disgraceful conduct”. Lord Sales, Lord Burrows and Lady Simler could have been forgiven for wondering whether this was going to be the best use of their legal expertise. As it turned out, the time they spent preparing for the hearing was entirely wasted.
Michael Siew Loong Ng, now 75, came out of retirement in January 2020 to work as a registered veterinary surgeon at a practice owned by a relative. Following a financial dispute, he ran the practice on his own.
After complaints to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, Ng appeared before its disciplinary committee accused of using “seriously out-of-date” surgical techniques, carrying out surgery without trained assistants, inadequate record-keeping and dishonestly altering or deleting records.
The committee found that his deficiencies in clinical care “involved actual injury to animals” and that his dishonesty in interfering with clinical records amounted to “disgraceful conduct in a professional respect”.
A summary of the committee’s findings was published last June. The full decision is still available, but not from the published link. The college has no power to suspend a vet and Ng remained on the register pending his appeal.
Under a statute passed 60 years ago, any vet found guilty of disgraceful conduct can appeal to His Majesty in Council. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which hears these appeals and advises the King, normally comprises justices of the Supreme Court.
Generally speaking, the Supreme Court can filter out cases that the justices think would be a waste of their time by refusing permission to appeal. By contrast, struck-off vets can appeal by right.
Ng did so last July and his appeal was listed for hearing by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council today.
