Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service determination — review hearing
MPTS review suspends Dr Sarah Benn for 12 months over protest misconduct and conviction
A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service review has suspended retired GP Dr Sarah Benn for 12 months, finding her fitness to practise remains impaired by misconduct and a conviction from her climate and animal-rights protests, after concluding she had shown no further insight or remediation.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 5 June 2026 · Updated 7 July 2026
Suspension (suspended from practice) — 1 year
Added to MedicWatch: 7 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 Sarah Benn, doctor (General Medical Council 3334454).
Decision date: 5 June 2026 · Hearing started 4 June 2026 and ended 5 June 2026
In plain English
The MPTS tribunal found that Dr Sarah Benn's fitness to practise remains impaired by reason of misconduct and a conviction arising from her climate-change and animal-rights protests, which included breaching a High Court injunction three times and a conviction for criminal damage. At this review hearing the tribunal found she had shown no further insight or remediation and maintained that her position would not change. Concluding that compliance with the law is a fundamental professional requirement, it suspended her registration for 12 months.
Charges
This was a review of earlier findings that Dr Benn's fitness to practise was impaired by reason of misconduct and a conviction. A 2024 tribunal had found she committed serious misconduct by breaching a High Court injunction on three occasions in 2022 during peaceful climate-change protests within a prohibited buffer zone at the Kingsbury Oil Terminal, for which she was found in contempt of court and, on the third occasion, received a 32-day custodial sentence. A 2025 tribunal additionally found her fitness to practise impaired by a 2023 conviction for criminal damage, after she chalk-sprayed the premises of an animal-testing company, for which the Crown Court imposed a 12-month community order. She was suspended for 12 months and a review directed.
Findings
At this review hearing, held in Dr Benn's absence, the tribunal considered whether her fitness to practise remained impaired. It had regard to her written statement, in which she said her position was unchanged and would not change and that she did not intend to remediate. The tribunal found she had not demonstrated effective insight into either her conviction or her misconduct, had provided no evidence of remediation or of any behavioural or attitudinal change, and that the risk of repetition remained high. While acknowledging her sincerely held beliefs, the tribunal determined that compliance with the law is a fundamental requirement of medical practice that cannot be set aside on the basis of personal conviction. It found her fitness to practise remained impaired by reason of misconduct and conviction, with the seriousness in the middle of the higher band of the spectrum. Concluding that only the maximum length would uphold public confidence and professional standards, the tribunal suspended her registration for 12 months and directed a further review.
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.
Spot something incorrect?
If a fact on this page is wrong, or you believe the page should not be published, please submit a correction or takedown request.