A patient with whom a doctor was found to have engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship has spoken publicly for the first time about her experience.
She was being treated for a disability, a life-long condition and was and remains a wheelchair user.
Last month, Dr Cían Hughes was suspended from the medical register in the UK for a year, after a Medical Practitioners Tribunal found his fitness to practise was impaired because of his misconduct with Patient A.
Dr Hughes is registered in Ireland with the Medical Council and he has given an undertaking to the Council here not to provide any treatment to certain patient groups, except under specific conditions.
Patient A told RTÉ News that she first met Dr Hughes when she was 13 years of age and a patient in Bristol Children's Hospital.
"Cían and I first met in March 2011. He was a medical student at Bristol and I was an inpatient at the children's hospital. He was allowed attend a surgery I was having for a lifelong disability I have", she said.
She said they got on well, he was a nice person and she was a young teenager getting around being stuck in hospital for weeks at the time.
Dr Hughes was 23 years old and he later visited a few times to talk to her about her condition and they started corresponding through emails and a relationship developed over time.
"He asked me out and three or four days later he kissed me. At that point I was still 17, " she said.
This was October 2014.
In May 2015, Dr Hughes engaged in sexual intercourse with Patient A, the Tribunal found.
Patient A used to spend some weekends at Dr Hughes' flat.
The relationship ended in 2016 and Patient A said she wanted to get on with her life.
Patient A said it was a welfare officer in her workplace that later assisted her in the case being reported to the UK General Medical Council.
She said she did not think the suspension of Dr Hughes for a year sent enough of a message to the rest of the medical profession, that this is behaviour that is not acceptable.
But she said the decision is probably down to the fact Dr Hughes is not in a clinical role now in Ireland.
She said the events have caused her to distrust authority figures and generally distrust men.
Patient A is now 28 years of age and lives in London.
The UK Tribunal said there were no patient safety concerns and the risk of repetition by Dr Hughes was low.
It ruled that a review hearing should take place before the end of the 12 month suspension period.
Patient A said today she has asked the General Medical Council to appeal the Tribunal decision.
