A doctor has agreed never to practice again after previously pleading guilty to three counts of sexual assault, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. (CPSBC) said this week in a public notification.

The college says Dr. Peter Clinton Inkpen, who was practicing at a private office in Vernon, had previously admitted to sexually assaulting one patient and two staff members. He was subsequently incarcerated, according to the notification, constituting a “serious contravention of the professional and ethical obligations of a CPSBC registrant.”

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The sexual assault of the patient took place in 2018 while he was working at Vernon Jubilee Hospital, the college says. According to the notification, Inkpen had asked a female patient to volunteer for a research project he was involved in. The project involved conducting ultrasounds on the patient.

According to the CPSBC, on Nov. 28, 2018, Inkpen met with the woman in his office while it was closed. While alone with her, he behaved inappropriately.

The college says that on the evening of Nov. 30, Inkpen sent the woman a text message that read, “Don’t get too drunk with the girls tonight. I’ll probably need you functional tomorrow afternoon for a scanning session!”

The next day, the notification says, the patient went to his office, again while it was closed. He poured himself a beer and then gave her one. He then behaved inappropriately once again.

In 2021, the CPSBC said Inkpen engaged in sexual misconduct in the 2018 incident. As well, it said he engaged in professional misconduct and failed to maintain professional boundaries by engaging in personal communications and drinking alcohol with the patient.

CPSBC’s notification does not provide details about the incident or incidents involving the staff members.

Inkpen has committed to “never apply for reinstatement of his surrendered licence in British Columbia or apply for licensure in any other jurisdiction to practise medicine,” the college says.