‘Fake Doctor’ freed after witnesses fail to show up in Court

Mikhail McLennon, who was accused of pretending to be a doctor, was on Monday freed of the charge by Magistrate Judy Latchman after the prosecution failed to produce witnesses for the trial.

In October 2022, McLennon made his first appearance at the Diamond Magistrate’s Court and was released on $80,000 bail after pleading not guilty to the charge.

Particulars of the charge alleged that McLennon on June 03, 2022, at Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara, not being a medical practitioner, held himself out to Founder and President of the Guyana Cancer Foundation Hassan Bibi Hassan, as a person qualified to practice medicine.

McLennon’s trial was scheduled to commence on Monday, however, the prosecution failed to produce witnesses.  As a result, Magistrate Latchman dismissed the case for want of prosecution.

McLennon was represented by attorney Bernard DaSilva.

According to reports, on June 03, 2022, McLennon joined the Guyana Cancer Foundation but when Hassan questioned him about his medical degree, he reportedly refused to produce a copy.

After submitting his curriculum vitae several inaccuracies were observed. Universities he said he attended have all denied that he was ever a student.

That CV stated that he was a former student at Queen’s College, the country’s top secondary school, Texila American University and a student at the University of Guyana.

But Queen’s College, UG and Texila have denied that he attended the institutions.

There are claims that McLennon also secured jobs at private health facilities and even treated someone wrongfully in the past.

On his CV, he also claimed to have worked at the Georgetown and New Amsterdam Public Hospitals.