Former Blackpool Vic doctor - sacked after accusations of rape - avoids being struck off
PLUS: Chris Webb's job fair comes to Blackpool
Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.
Today we report on a doctor - sacked by Blackpool Victoria Hospital last year - who has avoided being struck off.
Dr Foy-Yamah was ultimately dismissed by the trust that runs the Vic, despite being brought back to work and promoted after the initial accusations - but has always maintained his innocence in the face of rape accusations.
Police and the CPS never brought charges against Dr Foy-Yamah but the tribunal held by the trust felt he had carried out the act.
Some of the details are grim reading and we warn that it may be upsetting to some readers.
Sacked Blackpool Victoria Hospital doctor avoids being struck off as actions ‘fell short of crossing line’
By Michael Holmes
A Blackpool Victoria Hospital doctor who was found by a tribunal - but not a court - to have forcefully raped a woman has avoided being struck off.
Aloaye Afakhade Foy-Yamah, 56, has been suspended for 12 months after a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) panel ruled his sex attack “came right up to the line of erasure (from the medical register) but fell just short of crossing it”.
The medic, who was trained at the University of Benin in Nigeria in 1995 before moving to the UK, could be allowed to again treat patients earlier after appealing against the punishment.
But he could also still be struck off, it has emerged, after the MPTS’s decision was criticised by specialists from the General Medical Council (GMC), who accused the panel of victim blaming and handing out a punishment that will not properly protect the public.
It, too, has appealed against the decision - though it wants a tougher one imposed.
Foy-Yamah has always protested his innocence - claiming he is the victim of a blackmail attempt - and was not charged by police after an investigation into the attack, which happened in December 2018, because of “evidential difficulties”.
He was initially suspended by the hospital, in Whinney Heys Road, in light of the allegations against him but was allowed back to work in February 2019 and even promoted.
He was eventually sacked in November 2024 after the tribunal concluded he had indeed carried out the rape.
Foy-Yamah’s victim, who has automatic lifelong anonymity as a sex attack victim and cannot legally be identified, told police what happened to her in a statement read by the MPTS panel.
In an interview with officers almost a month after her ordeal, she said Foy-Yamah, a specialist registrar in gastroenterology, touched her and tried to kiss her as the pair relaxed on a couch.
“I start moving my head from side to side,” she said. “I cannot speak as every time I open my mouth he tries to put his tongue in my mouth.
“I am pushing on his shoulders trying to get him off. He then grabs my arms and pins them to (the) sofa.”
The woman described Foy-Yamah “moaning and panting” as he pulled her clothes off.
Her description of what happened then is too graphic for publication.
Afterwards, she said she went to the bathroom and used her phone - with Foy-Yamah following her, “crying and begging me, asking if I am reporting him”.
She added: “Then in the morning, like this same morning but at about daybreak, when he was about to go to work … he says still he’s sorry, he doesn’t know what… Sorry and all that. I’m just… I’m like, ‘Why? Why did it happen? Why did it have to be me?’ Sorry. He’s crying. That, please, he’s sorry and all that stuff.”
Foy-Yamah admitted trying to kiss the woman but said he stopped when she asked him to and went to his bedroom.
The medic, who had given his victim a lift in his Maserati, claimed he was later asked by another doctor for £20,000 for “emotional damages” and told the tribunal the woman “was cross” because he had helped somebody else out with cash but not her.
But the panel, which convened several times between December 2023 and January 2025 to discuss the case, concluded that Foy-Yamah did fondle the woman, pin her down and have sex with her.
It said in its judgement, seen by The Blackpool Lead, that Foy-Yamah had “conceived a sexual desire for” his victim, named only as “Ms A”, and had earlier asked her to “spend the night with him, upon which occasion he touched her breasts”.
It said: “Although Ms A rejected that overture, and indeed rebuked him for it, she nevertheless arranged to travel with him to (redacted) late in the evening in the knowledge that she would necessarily be staying with him alone overnight … and when she knew he had a sexual interest in her. Indeed, she sat with him on the couch after a long journey … in such a way as to lie on him.”
The tribunal was shown messages between the pair in the days after the attack, with Foy-Yamah writing to his victim: “Hope you are OK and no more angry with me.”
She replied to say she was “still processing”.
It also heard voice notes between Foy-Yamah and another doctor, who told him: “If you commit a crime, I think that crime should be paid for.”
Foy-Yamah responded by saying: “If the police and obviously I’m arrested or things like that, yes, I will… I will go to jail and if that’s the way I pay for my sin, maybe that’s what I’m meant to face. But I believe you’ve… you’ve had one side of the story and I don’t think you’ve actually asked me what really happened…”
The panel ruled it to be “inconceivable” that Foy-Yamah, whose colleagues said his relationships with female co-workers and patients had always been “appropriate”, “would repeat the behaviour which led to the finding of serious misconduct ever again”.
It said his attack was an “isolated incident” against someone who “had captured his imagination to the extent that he developed a sexual interest in her”.
It added: “The tribunal considered that the aggravating factors in the case were the fact that Dr Foy-Yamah did not use a condom when he raped Ms A and that he ejaculated.
“Dr Foy-Yamah’s misconduct was serious sexual misconduct, but not one that was subject to a criminal charge, occurring in his personal life and one which involved a degree of force.”
It continued: “The tribunal was unable to assess Dr Foy-Yamah’s level of insight. Dr Foy-Yamah had maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, as was his right.”
The panel said Foy-Yamah “had initially offered an apology” to his victim, who was not a patient, but rejected a claim the doctor “had engaged in predatory behaviour and that he had abused his professional position”.
It said: “The tribunal considered Dr Foy-Yamah’s intent, which it considered was purely to satisfy his sexual desire.”
But it added: “He had no malicious intention to cause harm to Ms A. However, the tribunal recognised that Dr Foy-Yamah will have caused her harm.”
Explaining its decision not to strike Foy-Yamah from the medical register and ban him from ever treating patients again, the panel, which was made up of one man and two women, said: “Dr Foy-Yamah has no previous Fitness to Practice concerns and is of previous good character.
“Dr Foy-Yamah has remained in practice and has kept his skills and knowledge up to date and has produced significant positive testimonial evidence, which addressed both his personal and professional integrity.
“Additionally, the tribunal considered that the lapse of time since the events, some six years, was a mitigating factor.
“This was of particular note because this period included the Covid-19 pandemic, when Dr Foy-Yamah was promoted to interim department head.
“The tribunal recalled the testimonial evidence that it had received, which had described this as a particularly difficult time for the trust and one where Dr Foy-Yamah’s leadership was critical.
“The tribunal had heard from Mr S, advanced clinical practitioner, that Dr Foy-Yamah was a champion of staff protecting themselves during this time, had given the department clear structure and support and was ‘always on the shop floor, with no fear of getting involved with the patients’.
“The tribunal considered it noteworthy that Dr Foy-Yamah had been given this position of leadership despite the allegations against him and had performed to an exceptional standard.”
MPTS tribunals make independent decisions about a doctor’s fitness to practice.
The GMC, which investigates doctors and brings a case against them to the MPTS, said it has the power to appeal to the High Court against “relevant decisions of a Medical Practitioners Tribunal if it considers that the decision is not sufficient (whether as to a finding or a penalty or both) for the protection of the public”.
A GMC panel recently met to discuss Foy-Yamah’s case and agreed that the MPTS panel “erred on several points, particularly in finding that the doctor had a reasonable belief of consent, when in fact this was not his defence as he had denied that intercourse had taken place”.
Papers said: “The (GMC) panel was deeply uncomfortable with the victim-blaming narrative from the tribunal and considered the determination lacked a proper assessment of the seriousness of the misconduct.
“The panel was concerned as to the inadequacy of the assessment of risk in light of the lack of any evidence of insight or remediation.”
They added: “The panel concluded that, given the many points on which the tribunal failed, and based on the proven facts at the tribunal, the sanction of suspension was not sufficient to protect the public.
“The panel therefore decided to appeal (against) the MPT’s decision…”
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “In 2018, we received a report of rape. The matter was thoroughly investigated.
“After consulting with the Crown Prosecution Service, the case was not proceeded with due to evidential difficulties.
“We take all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and will always look to prosecute where the evidence allows.”
The Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Vic, said: “We can confirm that Dr Aloaye Afakhade Foy-Yamah is no longer employed at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals.”
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Almost 4,000 attend Blackpool Jobs Fair organised by Chris Webb
By Shelagh Parkinson
From beauty firm Avon to defence giant BAE Systems – there could not have been a wider spectrum of firms represented at Blackpool Jobs Fair.
They were among around 100 employers who filled the main exhibition hall at the Winter Gardens Conference Centre at the event organised by Blackpool South MP Chris Webb.
His aim was to provide a direct connection between employers and job seekers as part of his election pledge to improve residents’ lives.
With around 1,000 jobs on offer on the day, it was hoped to make some inroads into an unemployment rate in Blackpool currently running at seven per cent, compared to the national rate of 4.4 per cent.
Mr Webb said: “There are 1,000 jobs on offer, 100 employers with nearly 4,000 local residents coming through the doors today. This is about giving quality, long term jobs for local residents, something Blackpool has been crying out for for so long.
“I am so grateful for the work of the Job Centre and DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) supporting me and my team to put on Blackpool’s biggest jobs fair. This is going to improve Blackpool so much, help the local economy and give residents the careers they are desperately crying out for.
Around 4,000 people were expected to go through the doors during the day to meet representatives of local businesses such as Victrex and Pleasure Beach Resort, plus public services including the police and fire brigade, the care sector and council owned companies.
On the ground floor were members of the community and voluntary sector whose role is to support people back into jobs, and give them the confidence to apply.
Some tables had queues of people waiting to see what opportunities were available, and all age groups were represented.
John Deakin was recruiting for his security business based in Blackpool, Nomad Security, which he only set up a year ago but due to its rapid expansion he already needs to add to his workforce.
He said: “I’m really pleased with being here today and we have already got 10 candidates who we will interview for jobs. It is a fantastic way of ensuring you can recruit the right people for your business.
“We have only been going for a year, but we have 36 venues we do the security for and 50 staff but we need more people all the time as we get more contracts.”
Beauty firm Avon was among the more unusual employers – but Deb Bales, an Avon sales leader in Lancashire, said selling its products was an ideal job for people who might need more flexibility.
She said: “It is an opportunity for people who want to work part-time or work from home and can suit mums or carers etc and a whole different demographic.
“You can definitely make a living from it for example by taking on a leadership role, and we have both women and men working for us.”
David Rhodes is a Work Coach based at Blackpool Job Centre and his role is to link job seekers with the right employers for them.
In the past some businesses felt the Job Centre was not the best place for them to find the right recruits, but David says that perception has now changed.
He said: “We offer bespoke recruitment for employers whether they have one or 100 vacancies. Among our roles is to work with employers to make them more disability confident and there are a lot of people out there with a disability who can work.”
The Job Centre aims to ensure people have the right training or make use of transferable skills to find the right employment.
David added: “We want the focus to be on what we can do rather than what we can’t do. The Jobs Fair is a great way to do that and I’m really grateful to all the work coaches who have helped to put this on.”
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