Fake documents aided court leniency

An alleged imposter doctor used fake documents, including one from the medical watchdog, when he fought for a discharge without conviction on driving charges.

Yuvaraj Krishnan is under police investigation for allegedly using fake documents to secure a job at South Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital.

Stuff can now reveal that during a hearing at the High Court at Auckland last year, Krishnan, aged in his early 30s, argued that if he was convicted of careless driving and failing to stop in relation to an incident in October 2020, it could damage his medical career. At the time, he was employed by the then-Auckland District Health Board.

Among documents he supplied in support of his successful application for a discharge without conviction was a letter that was supposedly from the Medical Council of New Zealand, which said he had passed his medical exams and was eligible to apply for full registration to practise as a doctor in New Zealand.

However, yesterday the Medical Council said Krishnan had not sat nor passed the New Zealand registration entrance examination and ‘‘the council did not provide a letter to the court on this matter’’. ‘‘The issues you raise are matters for the NZ Police and council is working with the Police to provide clarification around the extent to which Mr Krishnan may have used documentation purporting to have come from the council,’’ a spokesperson said. Krishnan also produced a letter supposedly from James Worthy, a DHB clinic manager, which said if Krishnan was convicted, he could no longer be employed in the public health unit, Covid-19 unit or the infectious unit. Worthy also said the DHB could not provide him a reference.

‘‘We will have to strongly consider a termination of his contract as part of the individual employment agreement as per the agreement to uphold the integrity of a health professional working with the Covid-19 unit,’’ he said.

Yesterday, Te Whatu Ora Te Toka Tumai Auckland (formerly the Auckland District Health Board) chief medical officer Margaret Wilsher said there was no record of anyone with the name James Worthy working for the health board.

Annie Talakai, Krishnan’s lawyer in the High Court last year, said she had ‘‘nothing further to add’’ when contacted yesterday.

Krishnan was employed at Middlemore Hospital in February in a clinical research position by Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau (formerly Counties Manukau District Health Board). He was stood down on August 1, after concerns were raised about his registration, and his employment ‘‘concluded’’ on August 10.

Yesterday, a spokesperson confirmed Krishnan worked at Te Whatu Ora Te Toka Tumai Auckland from December 2020 until February 2022. ‘‘During this period the individual carried out a non-clinical role under supervision. The role had no patient contact and did not require a practising certificate.’’

He had never worked as a doctor or medical student for the agency.

Stuff understands Krishnan worked at the Greenlane Medical Centre in a Covid-19 contract tracing team, calling high-risk people isolating with the virus.

Krishnan’s qualifications, or lack thereof, are now the subject of a police probe. The University of Auckland earlier this week confirmed Krishnan did not graduate from and was never enrolled in the bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBChB) courses. The University of Sydney said in an email that he graduated in September 2016 with a bachelor of science – a three-year undergraduate degree.

It is unclear whether Krishnan received medical training overseas but the University of Otago – home to New Zealand’s only other medical school – also confirmed there was no record of him ever graduating.

In an email to staff yesterday, leaked to Stuff, Auckland Regional Public Health Service general manager Jane McEntree said many people would have worked alongside Krishnan and news of his alleged deception ‘‘may be upsetting for some staff’’.

‘‘I want to reassure staff that he had a non-clinical role here and that we are confident he did not carry out any part of a medical officer’s role or act beyond his duties as a contact tracer. We have also reviewed our internal records and recruitment and checking processes, and are comfortable that these were correctly followed.’’

A source said Krishnan, who ‘‘seemed like the nicest person’’, told colleagues at Greenlane Medical Centre he had studied medicine in Boston in the United States and worked as a doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital before returning to New Zealand due to Covid-19. He often said he was waiting for his registration to be approved so he could practise in New Zealand.

The source said they now doubted whether any of that was true. ‘‘This is a huge blow to all medical practitioners who struggle with gaining patient trust when trying to provide best practice care.’’

The source said they were concerned Krishnan may have provided misleading or false advice over the phone to vulnerable people suffering from Covid while he worked at the contact tracing centre.

The driving charges

Krishnan was charged with operating a vehicle carelessly and one charge of failing to stop or ascertain injury in 2020. He was convicted and discharged by Judge Nevin Dawson. At the district court, Krishnan said he was about to study for his final exams to become a medical doctor. Krishnan then appealed to the High Court at Auckland, where Justice Christian Whata granted him a discharge without conviction.

‘‘I consider Mr Krishnan should be discharged without conviction. In the present circumstances, conviction is grossly disproportionate to the offending,’’ Justice Whata said.

The High Court judgment said Krishnan was employed by the Auckland District Health Board in its Covid-19 response unit.

The judgment referenced the letters from the Medical Council and Worthy.

Krishnan said he was concerned about how the conviction could impact his eligibility to practise medicine in NZ and could affect his ability to train in the US.

He also produced a letter, supposedly from Dr Tomasz Rogula, a professor of surgery at Case Western Reserve University of Ohio, which said Krishnan was a potential candidate for further training in infectious diseases research in 2022. Stuff is attempting to verify the legitimacy of that letter.

Justice Whata agreed Krishnan should be discharged without conviction as there was evidence ‘‘the black mark of conviction remains significant’’.

When contacted for comment, Krishnan claimed his name was ‘‘Steve Singh’’ and he did not know the alleged imposter doctor.

The Health and Disability Commission yesterday said it had not received any complaints about Krishnan at this stage.