Fielden (Pictured at Luton Crown Court) spied on a 15-year-old girl while she was in the shower

One of Britain's most senior NHS doctors has been struck off after secretly spying on a 15-year-old girl through a hole as she took a shower.

Dr Jonathan Fielden, 56, was arrested by police after he spied on a teenager through a hole in a ceiling.

Last year the Medical Director of University College London Hospitals whose previous £224,999 salary once made him one of the highest paid doctors in the UK avoided jail after blaming work 'pressures' for his behaviour.

The anaesthetics and intensive care consultant was referred to the General Medical Council for investigation about his future career.

Today it emerged that the father of four had been erased from the medical register last month after a disciplinary panel rejected his pleas to be let off with a temporary suspension.

In an unusual move the entire three day hearing was held behind closed doors last month after lawyers cited humans rights privacy laws to bar the press and public from attending for fear it would lead to the victim's identity being made public.

Instead heavily redacted documents were published about the crimes of the disgraced medic who had been due to take a new role as National Director of Specialised Commissioning and Deputy National Medical Director of NHS England.

The victim was referred to throughout the hearing as Person A. The incident occurred in 2016 after Fielden crept into an attic area above the shower room and watched the teenager through a hole next to a light fitting at a private address in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.

Last year the Medical Director of University College London Hospitals (pictured) whose previous £224,999 salary once made him one of the highest paid doctors in the UK avoided jail after blaming work 'pressures'

He was able to look down on a dislodged ventilation pipe for around '15 to 20 seconds' before the girl realised she was being watched.

The girl was so traumatised she could not bring herself to take showers and eventually told a school counsellor about the incident.

Fielden was later arrested in December 2016 and resigned from NHS England. His mobile phone was examined and it was found it had been used to trawl websites featuring underage girls and child sex abuse images.

At Luton Crown Court in June 2019, Fielden, of Biddenham near Bedford, admitted voyeurism and was sentenced to five months imprisonment suspended for a year and was ordered to complete 150 hours' unpaid work. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for seven years. He divorced from his wife last year.

Fielden (pictured) spied on a 15-year-old girl while she was taking a shower after creeping into the attic and looking through a hole in the ceiling

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, in Manchester Simon Bond, chairman of a fitness to practise panel said: 'The Tribunal accepted that Dr Fielden was under considerable pressure at work at the time of the incident. However it noted that in his evidence he asserted he was working within his limitations at that time.

'Dr Fielden described the event as a matter of 'poor' or 'very poor judgement'. Whilst the Tribunal concluded that he had a reasonable level of insight into the impact of the conviction on himself and career, his insight into the wider impact of the events was limited.

'It noted his expressions of shame, remorse and acknowledgment of the grave consequences for Person A - however the Tribunal considered that Dr Fielden had not fully addressed or reflected upon impact of the offence on Person A.

'His description of his offence as being one of 'poor judgement' displayed a lack of insight as to the gravity of the offence and sought to minimise its impact.

'In cross-examination Dr Fielden was asked on two occasions if he classified his offence as a matter of poor judgement to which he replied 'it's clearly not something I should have done '.

'Dr Fielden failed to demonstrate that he fully acknowledged the burden on Person A of the offence. Further he lacked insight as regard to the impact of the offence on the NHS, the profession as a whole and his colleagues.

'He held a very senior position in NHS England and was expected to provide leadership and direction. Whilst Dr Fielden acknowledged the impact of the loss of his career upon himself the Tribunal considered that he had failed to demonstrate sufficient insight into the impact upon his profession as a whole and those for whom he had responsibility.'

Earlier Fielden produced a number of character references to support his case from a string of medical colleagues including senior figures from the Royal College of Nursing and the London School of Medicine.

His lawyer Alexandra Felix told the MPTS: 'The incident that resulted in Dr Fielden's conviction was isolated and momentary incident.

'It could not be said that the pipe through which he looked at Person A had been deliberately dislodged. He looked through the hole in the pipe momentarily and witnessed Person A and he did not avert his eyes quickly enough. He accepts the only explanation for continuing to look through the pipe at Person A was for sexual gratification.'

Miss Felix said Fielden posed a 'low risk' of reoffending and added: 'The event took place over a matter of a few seconds and not 15 to 20 seconds as originally stated. It was an opportunistic event without any element of pre-planning and the significant work pressures faced by Dr Fielden at the time of the incident may have contributed to his behaviour.

'He has demonstrated insight and acknowledged the impact of his actions and expressed remorse for them. An informed member of the public who had heard all of the facts and the surrounding circumstances would conclude that suspension was an appropriate sanction. Dr Fielden is able to provide considerable future service to society and the medical profession.'

Fielden had been privately-educated at Bedford School before going to Bristol University. He had been Chairman between 2006 and 2009 of the Central Consultants and Specialists Committee of the British Medical Association. He led the Care Quality Commission team which inspected Hinchingbrooke Hospital in 2014 and was appointed director of specialised commissioning at NHS England in October 2015.

He was hailed by the Health Service Journal to be the 49th most influential person in the English NHS in 2015.

At his crown court trial Judge Richard Foster told him: 'It's tragic to see you, a man of such brilliance in your career - a hardworking man at the pinnacle of your career, responsible for a substantial part of the NHS budget - to fall from grace in the way you have because of what you stupidly did.'