
A charity is calling for a GP to be suspended for “harassing” a woman raped by his son.
Dr Andrew McFarlane, 61, was arrested and charged with communications offenses in August after calling Ellie Wilson a “manipulative liar”, a “slut” and a “hippo” in a series of posts on X.
In 2022, his son Daniel McFarlane was found guilty of raping Ms Wilson, who has since become a campaigner for the rights of victims of male sexual assault.
Rape Crisis Scotland has twice complained to the General Medical Council (GMC) about Dr McFarlane's behavior, but he can still see patients at NHS Highland.
The GP is yet to appear in court over the charges. The BBC made several attempts to contact him, but he did not respond.
“I’m constantly worried”
Dr McFarlane began posting about Ms Wilson's case earlier this year, claiming his son was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
He said Ms Wilson had threatened, blackmailed and abused his son.
He also posted screenshots of private and sexual conversations between his son and Ms Wilson.
Daniel McFarlane attacked Ms Wilson between December 2017 and February 2018 while he was a medical student at Glasgow University.
In July 2022, he was found guilty of two rape charges and sentenced to five years in prison.
His conviction was upheld in part because Ms Wilson secretly recorded a conversation with McFarlane in which he admitted to raping her.
McFarlane tells Ms Wilson: “I feel good knowing I'm not in jail.”
His father, Dr McFarlane, began tweeting about the case earlier this year and his behavior was reported to the GMC in July.
The following month, Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, wrote to the GMC, saying Dr Macfarlane was causing “great concern” to Ms Wilson, “who constantly worries about what he might publish next”.
Ms Brindley asked the GMC to “urgently investigate” the GP's ability to practice medicine in light of the “deeply concerning behaviour”.
She claimed the GP's messages were “offensive” and “particularly disturbing” and came from someone whose profession “depends on the ability to handle patient information sensitively”.
She said: “Given the content and extent of his online communications, we are particularly concerned that Dr McFarlane may cause harm or distress to any patients who may themselves have experienced sexual abuse or domestic violence.”
Tribunal decision
The GMC is an independent regulator responsible for handling complaints against doctors.
It was decided to refer Dr McFarlane's case to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), which makes fitness to practice decisions.
Instead of suspending him, in August the MPTS decided to impose special conditions on his medical registration: less than a week later he was charged with interfering with communications in connection with his posts.
Dr McFarlane is now required to personally inform the GMC of any changes to his job title or his employer's contact details.
On September 4, Ms Brindley wrote to the regulator again, expressing “serious concerns about the lack of seriousness with which the GMC appears to be approaching this issue.”
She called for the GP's suspension to be reconsidered.
“It can take a lot of courage for rape victims to talk about their experiences, and GPs are often the first professional a rape victim can tell,” Ms Brindley said.
“Survivors seeing a GP practitioner harass and publicly question whether a woman was raped (despite her perpetrator being convicted and currently in prison for his crimes) may jeopardize their relationships with their own GPs.”
In any case, if a doctor is arrested, the GMC will suspend its own internal investigation.
Dr McFarlane previously worked as a deputy GP at Alness and Invergordon Medical Group, but the BBC understands he has not worked there for about a year.
He is free to see patients in the Highland NHS, but it is unclear whether he is currently operating.
The health board said it was taking “all necessary and appropriate measures” to ensure the safety and well-being of patients.
A GMC spokesman said: “As soon as we became aware of these concerns, we took immediate action by launching an investigation and referring Dr McFarlane to the tribunal under interim orders.
“A full investigation is now underway alongside ongoing criminal proceedings. Dr McFarlane is currently subject to temporary conditions in relation to his practice.”