Man arrested over fake doctor claims

PA Media Library still of a stethoscope around a doctor's neckPA Media
The man had set up his own premises in Crosby, Merseyside.

A man has been arrested after he allegedly claimed to be a doctor and prescribed medication to a woman suffering from a chronic condition.

Merseyside Police said the woman had felt unwell after she injected the drugs she was given at the doctor's premises in Waterloo, and subsequently raised her suspicions with her GP.

The force said the medication, which had Korean written on the side, turned out to be an anti-inflammatory drug which would not normally be prescribed for her condition.

Officers attended the suspect's address where they found and seized a quantity of cannabis. A 49-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent, and possession of cannabis.

Det Insp Sara Lang said: "Thankfully, cases such as this are extremely rare.

"We believe the suspect marketed his services using social media, and we would urge people to be extremely cautious when seeing anything online that seems too good to be true.

"Sadly, there are people who are prepared to exploit people suffering with health issues for their own financial gain, and we are taking this report extremely seriously.

"If you believe you may have been issued medication by the suspect in this case, please contact us as you may have information that would assist our ongoing enquiries."

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