James Alexander Lockyear, an Essex based veterinarian, was charged by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for two charges related to a steroid drugs offence and a misconduct. A locum at the St. Runwald’s Surgery in Colchester, Lockyear is a graduate of Pretoria University in South Africa. He was to be tried by the disciplinary committee last Wednesday for trying to obtain steroids dishonestly. He tried to obtain steroids from a pharmacist saying that the drug, which can be used for bodybuilding, was going to be used for surgery when in fact, the procedure did not require the drugs and was not even appropriate for vet practice. Lockyear did not attend the hearing. The London committee said that his absence “did not draw any adverse inference.”

Inappropriate conduct

Lockyear was also charged for “inappropriate and unprofessional behavior.” The committee heard that Lockyear allegedly placed the testicle of a castrated dog inside his mouth and had shown an offensive picture stored on his mobile phone to another staff member. A witness also testified that Lockyear misused an endotracheal tube, which is used for inserting into the trachea to ensure that the windpipe is not closed off and air can freely reach the lungs. All the aforementioned incidents took place between April 2008 and September 2009; at that time James Lockyear was a practicing temp at the Colchester surgery.

Pharmacist’s testimony

A pharmacist testified against Lockyear and was heard by the committee. He said that Lockyear presented an incomplete veterinary prescription for 12 ampoules of Sustanon, an injectable oil-based blend of esterized testosterone compounds: 30 mg Testosterone Propionate, 60mg testosterone Phenylpropionate, 60mg Testosteron Isocaproate, and 100 mg Testosterone Decanoate. Sustanon is a prescription-only anabolic steroids intended for use by humans. A second pharmacist suspected (and was also heard by the committee) that the steroids were for Lockyear’s personal use.

“Disgusting and offensive”

The committee was gravely concerned about the incident regarding the second charge. They said that Lockyear’s behavior of playing with the dog’s testicles offended against his duty to treat all animals, which were his patients, with respect. The committee further described his behavior to be “unprofessional, juvenile, inappropriate, disgusting and offensive.” However, the committee felt that the incident was not done maliciously and because it was not done in the presence of a client or member of the public, it did not amount to disgraceful conduct in professional terms.

Abuse of authority

While this was a one-off incident, committee chair Alison Bruce contended that Lockyear’s behavior and conduct “falls far short of that which is expected of a member of the profession.” She also said that what Lockyear did involved serious dishonesty and that it represented an abuse of a vet surgeon’s authority to prescribe medicines. Even though Lockyear did not attend the hearing, the committee found him guilty of attempting to obtain prescription drugs dishonestly. His name was consequently removed from the register of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

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