An optometrist who alledgedly bugged his former lover's car to find out if she was seeing another man and then urinated into her postbox has been thrown out of the profession.

Philip Egan, 53, bombarded his ex with texts and banged on her windows late at night after she moved out of their three-bedroom home in Hertfordshire, the General Optical Council (GOC) heard.

He also ripped off her bra in a drunken rage before sinking his teeth into her face as she cowered in her seat, the GOC heard.

Egan, who worked for the Harpenden Eye Centre, then tried to persuade her to retract her police statement against him.

Philip Egan, who worked for the Harpenden Eye Centre (pictured) bombarded his ex partner with texts and banged on her windows late at night after she moved out of their Hertfordshire home

He was eventually convicted of stalking and perverting the course of justice at St Albans Magistrates' Court in March 2014.

The GOC found charges relating to his convictions proved and allegations including biting Miss B and tearing at her clothes, which Egan admitted, proved.

Egan was cleared of other allegations including that he knew he had received a police caution for common Assault on 20 January 2004 which he failed to disclose and lying to the police on or around 20 December 2013.

He was also cleared of assaulting his current partner's former husband, Mr A, and threatening to kill his new partner's former husband and Mr A's father.

The panel also cleared Egan of intimidating Miss B into retracting her police statement, following the biting incident.

GOC Chairman Ian Crookall said: 'The Committee concluded that the evidence of Ms B, in this regard, was unreliable. It noted that the alleged encounters between the Registrant and her occurred within the context of a deteriorating, volatile and on/off relationship.

'It noted that both the Registrant and Ms B continued their relationship after the incident described. Within this context, the Committee could not be satisfied that the described activities or actions of the Registrant could be described as intimidating to Ms B or that they occurred in the manner described at all. It therefore found these particulars to be not proved.'

But ordering Egan be struck off Mr Crookall added: 'The committee has decided that it is appropriate for an erasure order to be imposed.

'We decided to make an immediate suspension order given the seriousness of the offence.'

Egan did not attend any of the hearings at the GOC and Mr Crookall added: 'It is a difficult with an absent registrant.'

Referring to Egan's ex-lover as Miss B, Mr Matthew Corrie, for the GOC, told how Egan took a chunk out of her face in August 2010.

Miss B was driving him home in her convertible Mini after dining together in a restaurant.

'Mr Egan was drunk and aggressive,' said Mr Corrie.

'Miss B asked him to get out of the car after pulling in at a petrol station.

'He leaned across her, ripped off the back of her dress and bra hooks then bit her face.

'Mr Egan was arrested at the scene.'

Giving evidence Miss B told the hearing: 'He was angry and drunk, and he wanted the roof on my convertible Mini down but it was night time.

'I didn't want to but I put it down because he kept on at me.

'He was showing off to the other couple in the car and when the roof was down he kept pinging the car aerial.

'I didn't want to make a big scene but inside I was fed up with his behaviour.

'When we pulled up to drop the couple off I had made up my mind that he had to get out of the car.

'After he got out I drove off because I could see the mood he was in and I didn't want him in my car.

'I went back and let him in the car again - he was shouting and swearing at me, just giving me a lot of abuse.

'I was driving down some dark lane and when we came to a roundabout I missed our turning because it was badly lit. He started swearing at me about that.'

Describing the attack, Miss B said: 'I quickly pulled into the petrol station before he could realise what I was doing.

'I was scared for my life - he has totally lost control.

'When he bit into the side of my face I heard my skin make a ripping noise and I was scared that if I moved the flesh would come away from my face.

'It took two weeks for the scar to disappear completely.'

Egan was eventually convicted of stalking and intending to pervert the course of justice by intimidating her at St Albans Magistrates' Court (pictured) in March 2014

Miss B had discovered Egan was having an affair after fitting a £25 tracking device in his car which also allowed her to eavesdrop on his phone calls.

He had also fitted a bug into her car to discover if she was seeing someone else, the hearing was told.

Miss B said Egan went on to urinate on her post-box, turn up at her home unannounced in the early hours of the morning and inundate her with texts and calls.

'He said through the letterbox that he was going to urinate on the postbox outside my house,' said Miss B.

'I didn't think he would do it but then I heard the noise of him urinating against it while talking on his phone.

'He used to bang on the window of my house and demand that I open the door because he thought I was seeing someone else,' she said.

'I had to draw the blinds to show him there wasn't anyone in the house.'

Miss B also told how Egan once tail-gated her down a busy road.

'I was on a bypass near where we lived and he was right behind me in his car.

'He was also phoning me, wanting to talk to me.

'I pulled into a police station and he pulled in beside me.

'An officer asked me if I was ok and I said I was even though I wasn't.

Egan, from Tring, Hertfordshire, was ordered to perform 180 hours community service after he was convicted of stalking and perverting the course of justice at St Albans Magistrates' Court.

He was also given a restraining order, banning him from contacting Miss B directly or indirectly.