Psychiatrist wins High Court injunction after 'campaign of harassment' by 'obsessed' ex-patient

Dr Marius Dreyer's case was heard at the High Court
AFP/Getty Images

A psychiatrist who says his career has been blighted by an ex-patient’s campaign of harassment has won a High Court injunction against him.

Dr Marius Dreyer said the “obsessed” patient turned against him after receiving a diagnosis he was unhappy with, making death threats and posting damaging allegations against him online.

The psychiatrist, who was working at the Park Royal Mental Heathcare Centre, told the High Court he fears he will be confronted or attacked at home as the patient had “acted violently” during a visit to the hospital where he works.

Judge Martin Chamberlaine QC granted Dr Dreyer an interim injunction against the patient, who has not been named, banning him from going to the doctor’s home or creating online posts about him. Victoria Jolliffe, for Dr Dreyer, said an email was sent to the doctor which indicated the patient had discovered details about his private life.

“This is a person who was obsessed with Dr Dreyer and the concerns he has about leaving his home are still very real,” she told the court.

Granting the order, the judge said: “Dr Dreyer made a diagnosis to which the defendant took great exception.

The defendant later went to the hospital, acted violently and made threats to kill Dr Dreyer. In April 2016, the patient emailed the doctor. The email suggested that the patient knew the doctor’s partner was away from home, which she was.

Dr Dreyer inferred from this that the defendant may have been following him and knew where he lived.”

The patient had already been barred from going to the hospital in north-west London unless for genuine medical reasons, but Dr Dreyer sought a new order extending the injunction.

The judge, noting that the online comments could have affected the doctor’s professional standing, said Dr Dreyer has “been off work with stress”.

The judge rejected a bid to ban the man from complaining about Dr Dreyer to other people or a professional body. He said the patient would have the chance to challenge the interim injunction at a future hearing.

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