Today, a medical tribunal found that a family doctor used Twitter to intimidate several social media opponents to his pro-transgender views.
Dr Adrian Harrop, 31, who is an associate GP at Brownlow Health Central in Liverpool, gave his supporters clues that would allow them to identity and potentially target individuals for online and even real-world abuse.
One case saw him reveal the identity of an anonymous account holder, and then demand that she be removed from Twitter and thus from any social media discussion on the matter.
The Liverpool-based GP, who is also an advocate and campaigner for the LGBT community, made disparaging references to her health, posted references to her children, and revealed that she and her family lived within 10 minutes of the iconic Wentworth golf course.
Family Liverpool-based GP, Dr Adrian Harrop, 31, used his Twitter account to intimidate a series of social media rivals opposed to his pro-transgender views, a medical tribunal heard on Monday
Ryan Donoghue of the General Medical Council stated at a Manchester MPTS hearing that Dr Harrop’s behavior was a cyberbullying campaign.
However, other competitors suffered similar instances of abuse meant to intimidate them so they quit the social media platform.
GMC began its investigation into the pro-trans campaign of Dr Harrop.
Following complaints, not just about the content of the article but the fact that the author was also a physician in 2018, the publication was removed.
It decided two years later to take disciplinary actions against him. The company ruled that his worst tweets were a hindrance to his ability to practice, and was therefore misconduct.
Many tweets were sent by Dr Harrop under his actual name, and with an ‘biog” that identified him. Although he has admitted some allegations, he denies any claims of intimidation.
According to Mr Donoghue, he was driven by a differing view of transgender rights. It was so strong that Donoghue believed he was right, that he considered it his responsibility to silence opponents of the debate.
His behavior can sometimes be described as “sinister”.
The identities of any of the alleged victims of cyber attacks by the GP were not revealed. A was the victim in A’s case. He posted her name, job details, and kept doing so until she requested him to stop.
He told her that he wouldn’t stop until she deleted all her tweets, and her profile on Twitter.
He mocked the Twitter friend of his, telling him that he was certain her morning medication would have worked. He added an emoji of a pill.
Before revealing his full name, he called A ‘the creepy stalkerish one’. A responded with a tweet: ‘This crosses a line. Your tweets directly expose me to danger’.
Then he said that he wouldn’t do it unless she apologized for what she’d tweeted. He also stated that he did not want anyone with her views to feel unsafe or welcomed here.
Harrop, who qualified as a GP in September 2019 and started as a GP a month later, then tweeted: ‘A simple solution here…Delete your profile and remove yourself and I’ll remove all tweets with references to your name’.
His Twitter audience was around 4,000 at the time. This number increased to approximately 40,000 later. Sometimes he would tag the GMC on his tweets.
Although Dr Harrop was challenged by senior medics over his conduct, despite having two meetings with him, Harrop continued to tweet. In November 2019, the GMC was informed about Harrop’s case.
C was the name of Dr Harrop, who left clues about where the man lived as well as the university where he lectured. The post also includes a website link to a bed and breakfast located near Harrop’s home.
D, a Twitter user was diagnosed by his GP with emotional dysregulation. D did not have to be his patient nor was he ever examined.
He wrote that he had referenced an earlier tweet from an ally and said: “D has waged a prolonged and targeted campaign against several of my friends.” This must be stopped, regardless of the means.
This language was “entirely inappropriate” for medical professionals to use, according to Mr Donoghue.
Twitter user E participated in Twitter battles alongside Dr Harrop’s allies, C.
The GP referred again to the woman’s health, even though he knew nothing. Next, he advised her to remain calm. Keep your hands from getting in the way of your heart’.
He referred to the ‘fabulous’ idea of going on a trans activists’ trip that would take in Westminster Cathedral and Waterloo station before ending up at the iconic Wentworth golf club in Virginia Water, Surrey – close to E’s home.
It was embellished with Emojis depicting a golf course and a church as well as a train. E also mentioned schools that his children attended.
One occasion, Dr Harrop apologized for tweeting a message with a “misogynistic insult” on Twitter. “It wasn’t an error,” he said. ‘Mea culpa’.
E was crowdfunding in April 2019 to help her defend against an Injunction issued by C. The GP posted a tweet alerting potential contributors regarding third-party expenses.
This despite his potential role as a witness and knowing that he wasn’t qualified to give advice. According to Mr Donoghue, his tweet could have been misleading.
It continues.