GP struck off following ‘threatening and abusive’ harassment online

Credit: Getty/PrathanChorruangsak

By Erin Dean

A GP from Cornwall has been struck off following “threatening and abusive” harassment of two doctors and an immunologist on social media.

Dr David Cartland harassed the three individuals on sites including X, Instagram and Telegram between 2022 and 2025, a medical tribunal found.

He also shared an email from a general practice manager online after he was turned down for a job and encouraged others to harass her.

In addition, Dr Cartland offered an individual a Covid-19 exemption certificate, saying he would list a ‘medical’ exemption for anyone, whether they had a medical exemption or not, the tribunal found.

The panel determined that Dr Cartland was being “deliberately dishonest in order to circumvent COVID rules because of his anti-vaccine stance”.

The tribunal panel, which found his fitness to practise was impaired due to misconduct, said it was “concerned about the persistent, threatening and abusive harassment of four separate complaints over a sustained period of time”.