Doctor hid 14 overseas convictions – including stalking – to secure job in NHS

An NHS consultant doctor has been struck off after it emerged he failed to disclose 14 convictions from Australia, including stalking and threatening to kill his victim.

Dr Salah-ud-Din Taj had claimed that the offences were not "serious" enough to mention when he applied to work in the UK.

Dr Taj, who qualified from the University of the Punjab in Pakistan in 1996, worked as a Medical Registrar in Australia between 2007 and 2017.

During this period, he was convicted of 14 offences over four months, including stalking and threatening to kill, at the Magistrates Court of Victoria in Melbourne.

He received a one-year community correction order, which included 150 hours of unpaid work and supervision.

When applying for registration to work as a doctor in the UK, Dr Taj "dishonestly" ticked the 'no' box regarding previous convictions on his forms.

In 2019, he lied again to North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust to secure himself a job.

He later claimed that he thought the stalking conviction “was not serious” and was therefore “filterable” and did not need to be declared.

Dr Taj said that he did not declare the conviction because it “had not involved any physical element, did not touch upon his clinical practice and did not result in a custodial sentence”.

His prior convictions were discovered by the General Medical Council (GMC) and an investigation was launched into the doctor.

In the course of the investigation, it was also discovered that Dr Taj had been dishonest about practicing in Australia exclusively between 2007 and 2017, as he took breaks and also went to Pakistan.

A panel from the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found that Dr Taj could not remain on the register after lying about his convictions.

Read full story

Source: The Independent, 9 July 2026