A pediatrician has been deregistered and permanently barred from practicing following the transmission of inappropriate images to a minor he had encountered through his professional duties. Thomas O’Neill, aged 37, was prohibited from continuing his medical practice after engaging in inappropriate communication with a 15-year-old boy via WhatsApp, Snapchat, and phone calls for his own sexual satisfaction. O’Neill was convicted of indecent communications at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in February of the previous year.
The incidents involving O’Neill’s exploitation of the minor occurred between November 2019 and May 2020 while he was working at the A&E unit of Edinburgh Sick Kids Hospital. Court documents revealed that O’Neill, who was 31 at the time, coerced the boy into viewing explicit images of himself.
Despite avoiding imprisonment, O’Neill received a community payback order with 18 months of supervision when sentenced in March 2025. Additionally, he was required to adhere to sex offender notification protocols.
During a hearing at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), distressing details of O’Neill’s predatory actions were disclosed. It was disclosed that the former doctor met the victim, who was only 14 years old at the time, through a colleague. O’Neill, while driving a vehicle in November 2019 with the minor as a passenger, inquired about the child’s masturbation habits.
Subsequently, he initiated inappropriate messaging with the child on WhatsApp, progressing to sending explicit images of himself on Snapchat. The tribunal heard that O’Neill even informed the child about purchasing sex-related items and later visited the minor’s residence to deliver a silicone device.
Despite being blocked by the victim, O’Neill persisted in trying to contact him by using various aliases on multiple platforms. He disguised his identity under a different male name, communicated with the victim, and asked about his sexual orientation. He proceeded to send the minor a lewd photo and questioned whether the child recognized the genitals depicted.
The regulatory hearing determined that due to his offenses, O’Neill’s ability to practice medicine was compromised. Consequently, O’Neill was removed from the medical register and permanently prohibited from engaging in the profession.
Chairing the MPTS tribunal, Lee Davies concluded, “Dr. O’Neill’s actions of sending explicit content to a minor undermine the trust and confidence of patients and the public in the medical field, tarnishing the reputation of the profession. His behavior significantly deviated from the expected professional standards, and his lack of awareness regarding the seriousness of his actions and their potential repercussions on patients, colleagues, and the profession as a whole, along with his failure to rectify his conduct, were all considered in the tribunal’s decision-making process.”
O’Neill completed his medical education at the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex in 2013 before entering the General Medical Council registry the following year. He also served as a research fellow at Edinburgh University during his tenure in the medical field. Videos featuring O’Neill providing support to LGBTQ staff were shared on YouTube.
According to reports from The Record, O’Neill is no longer affiliated with NHS Lothian. Tom Power, Director of People and Culture at NHS Lothian, emphasized the organization’s expectation for all staff members to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and patient care, with necessary actions taken when these standards are breached.
