Obsessed Patient's Decade-Long Doctors Harassment Campaign

A disgruntled hospital patient, who waged a decade-long campaign of harassment against two respected doctors, which included death threats, has avoided prison with a suspended sentence.

Disabled Paul O'Callaghan, 37, of Granville Road, Eastbourne circulated leaflets calling for the “punishment”, “retribution” and “execution” of named medics, who he also secretly recorded and filmed during consultations.

“These are serious offences that were perpetrated over a lengthy period against two doctors who had the misfortune to have met you and tried to assist your progress and treatment,” district judge Mr. Nigel Dean told O'Callaghan at Bromley Magistrates' Court.

“The only factor that enables me not to send you to prison today is that you have an underlying health condition and for that reason I am prepared to suspend the sentence.”

O'Callahan, who receives disability living allowance for his chronic vestibular disorder, which effects his balance, received 18 weeks imprisonment, suspended for twelve months and must obey an electronically tagged night time curfew between 8pm and 6am for ten weeks.

He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order, which prohibits him from displaying any sign that could cause harassment or distress to NHS staff and was ordered to pay £300 costs at the rate of £10 per fortnight.

“You were making threats that they should be executed by death squads,” added Mr. Dean. “You knew you would cause distress and targeted a number of doctors, including these two doctors, and it did cause distress.”


O'Callaghan was convicted at Greenwich Magistrates' Court of two counts of harassment against Dr. Jennifer Quirke and Dr. David Golding-Wood between August 19, 2003 and November 20, last year.

The self-styled founder of the 'British Unicorn Party' was also convicted of two counts of communicating threatening messages between October 1, 2004 and November 20, last year and November 16 and 20, last year.

O'Callaghan had been receiving treatment at the Princess Royal University Hospital, Orpington and circulated his leaflets throughout the London Borough of Bromley – the local authority the hospital is located in.

“You hold an obsession with the NHS, which is unreasonable and have circulated wholly distressing leaflets over a considerable period,” Mr. Dean told O'Callaghan. “This was a planned orchestrated episode by you.”

The defendant was not allowed to read a prepared statement and was ushered from the dock while telling the court it would explain: “Why the Crown Prosecution Service and magistrates need to be executed.”

It was not the first time O'Callaghan has issued death threats in court and when convicted in June he told the bench magistrates: “I'm going to have you executed. I am going to have the three of you killed when I seize control of this country.”

His defence to the charges were that the leaflets were merely British Unicorn Party political manifestos, even though some were titled: “Doctors of Evil”, “Fifteen Year Wait For Treatment” and “We Make Complete Cock-Ups On A Regular Basis.”

Leaflets were pushed through Dr. Quirke's front door and the letterboxes of other hospital staff, who told police they found them: “Extremely nasty, extremely malicious and extremely slanderous.”

They included images of Dr. Quirke the defendant had secretly recorded during appointments and included a series of claims against both doctors.

“I was a bit shocked at first and upset by what I saw in the leaflets and was concerned,” Dr. Quirke told the court from behind a screen during the trial. “In 2004 the police had spoken to him and I hoped there would be no further problems.”

Ear, Nose and Throat specialist Dr. Golding-Wood only saw O'Callaghan once ten years ago and referred him to the world-leading National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

“I received everything from a single sheet A4 document to thirty-two pages, some of which contained somewhat threatening and disparaging material,” he told the court, also from behind a screen.

“The author became more robust and used the words punishment, retribution and execution. I was extremely concerned and threatened.”

Prosecutor Miss Clare Carey told the court on Tuesday: “The two doctors formed the view that the defendant had become completely obsessed with the disorder and Dr. Golding-Wood found the literature threatening and distressing.

“Dr. Quirke said the defendant was extremely hostile during their meeting and leaflets saying that she should be executed were distributed all over the borough.”

The doctor also made a victim impact statement, explaining: “I was obviously targeted and letters were distributed at my place of work and through my front door.

“My life was threatened, he said that we should be killed. I felt extremely vulnerable in my home and was concerned that he knew where I lived.”

O'Callaghan, who sacked his trial lawyer, told the court: “Dr. Quirke's home being leafleted was an accident, I did not know she lived in the borough and these were political policy sheets, not leaflets.

“I did not intend to contact the doctors and I never did. I have no intention of going anywhere near them or going to the hospitals.”

O'Callaghan is now due to undergo surgery at Brighton Hospital in September.