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A County Down doctor, who falsified clinical trials, has been jailed for nine months and fined £10,000.

Sentencing Dr Hugh McGoldrick of Crossgar Road East, Crossgar, the judge told him: "You have shown no remorse for what you did."

In April, the 59-year old admitted two charges of falsifying drug trials on patients with sleeping disorders.

The offences took place at his Pound Lane GP practice in Downpatrick.

Downpatrick Crown Court was told that on dates between November 2007 and June 2008, he "conducted a clinical trial relating to the efficacy and safety of 2mg per day of M100907 on Sleep Maintenance Insomnia'' in breach of the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004.

Dr McGoldrick's defence lawyer said he had over 30 years of experience in his Pound Lane practice and had behaved "out of character" during the clinical trial.

However, the judge told the GP: "These are serious admissions and there is a high degree of culpability on your part.''

He added that it was a "serious breach of trust'' which had been placed in him as a medical practitioner to carry out the medical research and also that of his patients.

Judge Grant stressed that "none of the patients'' on McGoldrick's trial for insomnia "had suffered as a result of these offences''.

He told McGoldrick: "Your only sorrow concerns the fact that you were caught.''