A SOUTHAMPTON doctor who slept with a prostitute while on emergency duty has been told he can keep his job.

Rupert Pemsel, 32, was suspended from the medical register for 10 months after having sex in a locked corridor at Princess Anne Hospital.

Now he has apologised for the impact the incident in 2013 has had on his child and GP wife.

As reported by the Daily Echo, the married father-of-one was blackmailed by associates of the escort for £10,000.

He quit the hospital and later took up a locum post at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth. He is set to resume the post after his suspension.

Chairwoman of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing, Lisa Smith, said Dr Pemsel had not been struck off because "it would not benefit the public to be deprived of the services of a clinically good doctor."

Lisa Smith told the hearing in Manchester: “In the tribunal's view, you have put your personal desires above your professional responsibilities.

"The tribunal considered the circumstances in which you brought an escort to the hospital premises where you engaged in a sordid sexual encounter whilst on duty.

"The tribunal considers that the suspension of your registration would mark the seriousness of your abhorrent behaviour. Indeed, it is of the view that public confidence in the profession would be seriously undermined if a lesser sanction were to be imposed."

She added: "The tribunal considered whether your conduct and behaviour warranted a higher sanction, that of erasure.

"However, it has taken into account that you are committed to continuing to practice medicine and it would not benefit the public to be deprived of the services of a clinically good doctor."

Dr Pemsel apologised to everyone involved in the incident.

He said: "I have reflected about the impact this has had on my family, my extremely supportive wife, my colleagues at the hospital I was working at the time, the Deanery... And they are aware of my deepest regret at the impact this has had on them.

"I am extremely regretful about the impact this has had on the profession and about the issues of confidentiality and misconduct."