A HOSPITAL consultant caught with an stash of drugs taken from two Gwent hospitals has been struck off.

Dr Sammy Sadakeque Alley Abrahaem, aged 43, of Imperial Road, Windsor, who used to work at Abergavenny's Nevill Hall and Newport's Royal Gwent hospitals, was removed from the register at a hearing in central London yesterday.

A haul of drugs, including morphine sulphate, Temazepam and opiates from hospitals all over England and Wales, including the Gwent hospitals, was found at his home.

Abrahaem claimed the medicines were to be sent to his family in Eygpt and charities in Palestine, Croatia and Iraq.

Robert Kellier, for the doctor, claimed that Abrahaem was "protecting charities and the public at large by agreeing to sift through medicines donated to charities to decide which ones should be forwarded to the various medical centres."

The General Medical Council's conduct committee chairman, Mary Clark-Glass, said: "Due to the level of dishonesty indicated by the careful and thought out nature of the fraud you carried out, the committee feels a period of suspension is not sufficient."