A DOCTOR who secretly used his iPod to take illicit photos of patients semi naked was found out when a nurse browsed through pictures of his pet cats and goat, a tribunal has heard.

Dr Christopher Valentine, 52, had been taking pictures of colleagues as they sat around a restaurant table during a staff night out when Fiona White asked to see the pictures in the gallery on his iPod Touch.

But as she swiped through photographs of Dr Valentine's pet cats and a goat he kept held on a smallholding, Miss White was stunned to suddenly come across the picture of a semi-naked man.

She reacted with a 'sharp intake of breath' and was left in shock - causing Dr Valentine to glance to the screen before he reassured her it was a picture of a heroin 'injection site'.

The group at the dinner table were having a leaving party for a member of Clydebank Community Addiction Team, led by Dr Valentine, who provide treatment to drug addicts and alcoholics through the NHS.

On hearing Miss White's gasp, Maria Forrester, another nurse, looked over to the iPod and also saw the image where she claimed to recall seeing a man's groin.

Despite Dr Valentine's assurances, the two women later decided to report the incident, which occurred on April 26 2013, and an investigation was launched.

It was soon revealed that he had used his iPod to take around 53 photos of at least two patients of Glasgow Addiction Services, some of whom were vulnerable.

At the time, Dr Valentine, a former sex clinic doctor and expert in sexually transmitted diseases, was working three days per week as part of the addiction team and the rest in private occupational health.

Between January 1 2012 and the day of the meal he had also transferred some of the images to his home computer and when patients were contacted it emerged he hadn't told them why he was taking photographs or obtained consent.

After taking the photographs, Dr Valentine didn't make a note in medical records of what he had done.

At a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service fitness to practice hearing in Manchester Dr Valentine, formerly of Birkenhead, Merseyside and now of Dunoon, Scotland, admitted ten allegations against him in relation to the photographs of patients.

Dr Valentine admits taking the photographs without good medical reason and the consent of patients. He denies keeping around 22 of the photos on his personal iPod until around August 29 2013.

The hearing continues.