Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service determination — substantive hearing
Struck off the register
The regulator’s term: erasure
What does “struck off the register” mean?
Being struck off (the regulator calls this "erasure") removes the practitioner from the register. They are no longer permitted to practise this profession in the UK. Erasure can be reviewed after a minimum of five years, but is otherwise indefinite.
Concerning Ian Hudson, doctor (General Medical Council 2616869).
Decision date: 3 February 2026 · Hearing started 27 January 2026 and ended 3 February 2026
In plain English
The MPTS tribunal found that Dr Ian Hudson's fitness to practise was impaired by reason of his conviction and misconduct. In July 2024 he was convicted of two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child after sexualised online exchanges in 2023 with undercover police officers posing as children. He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment (suspended), placed on the sex offenders register for ten years and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He had also delayed notifying the GMC. On 3 February 2026 the tribunal directed that his name be erased from the medical register, with an immediate order.
Charges
On 30 July 2024 at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court, Dr Hudson was convicted of two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. On 28 October 2024 he was sentenced to a six-month custodial sentence (suspended for 18 months), required to register with the police under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for ten years, and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years. The conduct involved sexualised online exchanges between June and July 2023 with two undercover police officers posing as a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old on the Kik Messenger application. He also failed to notify the GMC without delay that he had been charged with and convicted of these offences.
Findings
The Tribunal found Dr Hudson's fitness to practise impaired by reason of both his conviction and his misconduct in failing to notify the GMC without delay. The conviction was placed at the higher end of the spectrum of seriousness, the conduct involved deliberate, sustained behaviour towards persons known to be children. Insight was found to be limited and partial, and remediation incomplete despite engagement with probation interventions, the Lucy Faithful Foundation and counselling. The Tribunal concluded the current and ongoing risk to all three limbs of public protection was high and that a 12-month suspension would be insufficient given the criminal sentence and Sexual Harm Prevention Order. It directed that Dr Hudson's name be erased from the medical register and imposed an immediate order of suspension.
Mitigating and aggravating factors
Aggravating factors
The behaviour was persistent and repeated rather than a single isolated lapse, involving multiple platforms and accounts and indicating forethought and planning; the conduct directly involved persons known to be under the age of 18; two separate notional victims were involved.
Source
All facts on this page are drawn from the publicly published Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service determination linked below. MedicWatch does not editorialise the regulator’s findings.
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