Surgeon hit doctor in boozy row over Kuenssberg’s smile
Tribunal told medics were drinking for eight hours on Spanish holiday when night out turned violent
A LEADING surgeon punched a fellow doctor during a night out after he became enraged at an alcohol-fuelled discussion mocking the BBC’S Laura Kuenssberg, a tribunal heard.
David Wilkinson MBE hit Lawrence King around the head and knocked off his spectacles as they and other medical colleagues were engaged in a “vigorous debate” over the political editor’s “lopsided smile”, it was said.
Members of the group, who were on a holiday in Spain, had been drinking for up to eight hours and argued as to whether Ms Kuenssberg was “attractive” enough to work for the BBC due to her “asymmetrical face”, with Dr King allegedly suggesting she would look better “with a bag over her head”.
As the debate intensified at the Peso Neto restaurant in Bilbao, Mr Wilkinson, a 58-year-old postgraduate dean for Health Education England in Yorkshire, walked up to Dr King and hit him up to three times, the hearing was told.
Dr King, in his 50s, suffered a gash behind his ear following the incident last year. His glasses were also broken.
At a tribunal in Manchester in which Ms Kuenssberg was referred to as “LK”, Dr King said: “I remember looking at him and he looked angry… I thought he said his daughter wanted to be, or was, a journalist, like LK, but I do not accept that we were giving him a lot of stick…”
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service was told the two doctors had been drinking since 11am.
Dr King added: “He got up, walked around the table, went behind me and I suspected something was going to happen. I looked back and caught his fist in my open hand. He punched me a second time. I remember a heavy blow to the back on my head. I don’t have much
‘Lawrence said she would look better with a bag over her head, which annoyed David’
recollection as to what happened after that.”
When asked if he thought Ms Kuenssberg “wasn’t attractive enough” to be on television news, Dr King replied:
“I do not recall that. All I remember saying was she had a lopsided smile. I do not recall saying she would look better with a bag over her face.”
Witness Dr Michael Scarland told the tribunal: “We had around seven pints each... We had a long debate about Brexit and this led to a conversation about Laura Kuenssberg… Lawrence said she would look better with a bag over her head, which annoyed David.”
Prof Wendy Reid, the Health Education England director of education, told the hearing: “[Mr Wilkinson] told me how distressed and mortified he was… He had an argument with Dr King as he thought he was making comments about his daughter.”
Mr Wilkinson admits punching Dr King and the hearing is seeking to determine if he is guilty of misconduct.
The tribunal continues.