Dental Professionals Hearings Service determination — substantive hearing
GDC panel suspends dentist William Aspinall for six months over sexually motivated conduct
A GDC Professional Conduct Committee has suspended dentist William Aspinall for six months after finding he engaged in inappropriate, sexually motivated conduct towards two female colleagues without their consent, with impairment found on public interest grounds only.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 16 June 2026 · Updated 8 July 2026
Suspension (suspended from practice) — 6 months
Added to MedicWatch: 8 July 2026Report a correction
What does “suspended from practice” mean?
A suspension is a fixed-term pause on the right to practise. The practitioner cannot work in the regulated profession during the suspension. At the end of the period the suspension may be extended, replaced with another sanction, or lifted on review.
Concerning William Robert Stuart Aspinall, dentist (General Dental Council 250909).
Decision date: 16 June 2026 · Hearing started 1 June 2026 and ended 16 June 2026
In plain English
The GDC tribunal decided that dentist William Aspinall's fitness to practise was impaired by misconduct and suspended him for six months. The Professional Conduct Committee found he engaged in inappropriate, sexually motivated conduct towards two female colleagues without their consent, including touching in the surgery, at a nightclub and in a taxi. The committee found impairment on public interest grounds only and did not impose an immediate order.
Charges
It was alleged that between around May 2021 and around April 2022 Mr Aspinall intentionally rubbed and/or pushed his crotch against a dental nurse (Witness 1) in the surgery, slapped her bottom with a hand mirror, sprayed water and/or anaesthetic at her, and touched her leg while she was aspirating; that in a nightclub in April 2022 he touched her waist and attempted to kiss her; that he sent her an inappropriate Snapchat message; and that on or around 13 July 2024 he intentionally touched the leg of a dental therapist (Witness 2) in a taxi. It was alleged the conduct was without consent, inappropriate, and sexual and/or sexually motivated, and towards Witness 1 amounted to unwanted conduct of a sexual nature violating her dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.
Findings
The Committee found proved that Mr Aspinall intentionally rubbed and/or pushed his crotch against Witness 1 and slapped her bottom with a hand mirror in the surgery, touched her waist and attempted to kiss her in a nightclub, and intentionally touched Witness 2's thigh in a taxi, in each case without consent, without any reasonable belief in consent, and that the conduct was inappropriate, sexual and sexually motivated. The allegations of spraying water or anaesthetic at intimate areas, touching Witness 1's leg while aspirating, and the Snapchat message were found not proved. The Committee found the proved conduct amounted to misconduct and that fitness to practise was impaired on public interest grounds only, being satisfied the risk of repetition was now highly unlikely. It directed a six-month suspension without a review, declined to impose an immediate order, and revoked the interim order.
Mitigating and aggravating factors
Mitigating factors
No evidence of previous fitness to practise history; evidence of previous good character; evidence of insight, remorse and remedial action; time elapsed; no repetition of the behaviour since.
Aggravating factors
Actual (emotional) harm caused to Witness 1 and Witness 2; premeditated misconduct; a substantial power imbalance between the registrant and Witness 1 and Witness 2; breach of trust and abuse of position of authority; misconduct sustained and repeated over a considerable period of time.
Source
All facts on this page are drawn from the publicly published Dental Professionals Hearings Service determination linked below. MedicWatch does not editorialise the regulator’s findings.
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