Dr Rajeshkumar Mehta, 64, was falsely convicted of groping a woman's breasts after she visited a walk-in surgery fearing she was suffering from a heart attack

A 65-year-old doctor has told how his life was ruined when he was falsely convicted of groping a female patient due to failings by the police and prosecutors.

Rajeshkumar Mehta, a GP for 40 years, was found guilty of sexual assault before being struck off the medical register and jailed for 15 months in April 2018.

After being released at the end of his full sentence he was also put on the sex offenders' register.

But his original conviction at Birmingham crown court has now been quashed by the Court of Appeal after newly uncovered evidence revealed his accuser had lied to police and under oath.

'I lost my career,' Dr Mehta told the Times. 'Their [Crown Prosecution Service] disclosure failings contributed to a catastrophic outcome.'

During his time in prison, the former GP witnessed 'frightening levels of drink, drugs and violence amongst inmates, with corridors littered with cockroaches, blood and vomit'.

Lawyers for Dr Mehta said that following the trial, the anonymous patient was found to have lied about a seperate previous alleged assault.

When the case went to the Court of Appeal, judges said that they were concerned over the patient's evidence about her visit to Sparkhill Surgery on the day of the alleged assault, and that she lied about the identity of a friend she attended with.

While the lies did not relate directly to the allegation, the court ruled that they reflected negatively on her honesty, and claim was undermined.

Lawyers for Dr Mehta said that following the trial, the anonymous patient was found to have lied about a seperate previous alleged assault

Speaking after his conviction was thrown out, the doctor said: 'I would like to express my enormous relief that my name has been cleared after three very difficult years. Over the past year, my wife and children have carried the burden and spearheaded a campaign to clear my name.'

Officials at the Medical Protection Society, a doctors' union, said that they would press the General Medical Council to overturn its decision to strike off Dr Mehta.

Dr Rob Hendry, of the Medical Protection Society, said: 'We are delighted that Dr Mehta has been acquitted by the Court of Appeal. He and his family fought hard to clear his name and we are proud to have been able to support them in achieving this outcome.

Officials at the Medical Protection Society, a doctors' union, said that they would press the General Medical Council to overturn its decision to strike off Dr Mehta

'False allegations can cause a loss of reputation, profession and income. Tragically in Dr Mehta’s case, they can also lead to a loss of liberty.

'Trust is vital to the doctor-patient relationship. While such cases are very rare, it is vital that support and protection are in place to protect doctors and the wider profession from the threat of false accusations.

'We will now support Dr Mehta in working to reverse the General Medical Council’s decision to remove his right to practise on the basis of the now overturned conviction.'

Dr Mehta criticised the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and West Midlands police, saying they had a lot to answer for.