A disgraced doctor has been back in the dock for breaching terms imposed when he was convicted of sexually assaulting a patient.

Former family GP Sanjay Chatterjee was placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years after being found guilty in 2011.

Under the terms of the order, the 52-year-old, of Perch Close, Larkfield, needed permission from the authorities if he wished to travel abroad, and also had to notify them of any changes to personal documents, including passports.

But last January, he took a trip to Kolkata, India, following the death of his father to sort out family affairs.

Hugh Roberts, defending, said this left Chatterjee with a “poor state of mind”, which explained why he had simply forgotten to notify the relevant authorities.

The defendant had returned to India in July to accompany his mother-in-law, who had fallen ill, when his wife was unable to go.

When he returned from this trip, his wife surprised him with a short break to Portugal.

Prosecuting, Sarah Worsley told the court how the doctor, who had worked at a Medway surgery, was stopped at Gatwick Airport, where he was returning from Portugal in August.

He admitted also having travelled to Kolkata in late July, and further checks showed he had previously travelled to the Indian city in January 2016.

All of these trips had been carried out using a new passport, which he had not told authorities about.

Chatterjee appeared before Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court, where he admitted four counts of failing to comply with these requirements.

Jane Day, chair of the bench, said the doctor's actions showed a “blatant disregard for the law”.

Magistrates sentenced him to 84 days in prison, suspended for a year, and ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £200 costs.