16 Nov 2022

Fake Middlemore doctor pleads guilty to raft of new charges

5:54 pm on 16 November 2022

By By Qiuyi Tan, Open Justice multimedia journalist of NZ Herald

Manukau District Court.

Manukau District Court. File photo. Photo: RNZ / Kim Baker Wilson

A man has admitted he posed as a doctor at Middlemore Hospital using bogus CVs, forged reference letters and practising certificates.

Yuvaraj Krishnan pleaded guilty to a raft of 13 new forgery charges at the Manukau District Court before Judge Karen Grau this morning.

Dressed in a mint jumper and beige pants, the man pleaded guilty through his lawyer to charges including forging letters of support from the Medical Council and Auckland Regional Public Health Service, using CVs with false education and work experience, and making fake annual practising certificates.

The 30-year-old was employed as a clinical researcher at Middlemore until questions were raised about his medical qualifications.

He was sacked on 10 August, after allegedly examining dozens of patients during his time at the hospital.

Amongst his new charges is one of filing a document at the Auckland High Court in August this year as part of an appeal against conviction, falsely claiming that he passed medical examinations and gained full registration as a New Zealand doctor.

The alleged offences took place between October 2020 and August 2022 in Auckland.

He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing in September to one charge of forging an annual practising certificate.

He faces a maximum of 10 years in jail for each charge.

Judge Grau remanded the man on bail until his sentencing in February next year.

This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs