We allege that these cases constitute clinical incompetence and professional negligence and, in one instance, appalling rudeness to a patient

Vivian Robinson QC

Mr Neale is accused of mistreating scores of female patients and could be barred from practising in the UK if found guilty of serious professional misconduct.

He admits three of 37 charges and denies the rest.

The hearing again calls into question the ability of the GMC to police the medical profession effectively.

It comes 10 days after the publication of a report into disgraced gynaecologist Rodney Ledward, who was struck off for bungling operations on 13 women.

Most of the charges faced by Mr Neale relate to his work at the Friarage Hospital in Yorkshire between 1985 and 1995.

Vivian Robinson QC, for the GMC, said at the start of Mr Neale's hearing on Monday: "We allege that these cases constitute clinical incompetence and professional negligence and, in one instance, appalling rudeness to a patient."

Consent

Mr Neale is accused of performing operations without consent, sub-standard surgery, unnecessary procedures and failing to inform his patients' GPs of complications following surgery he performed.

He is also accused of making false claims on his CV when he applied to the GMC in March 1997 to become an assessor for its performance procedures.

He admits not informing patients' GPs about their treatment and failing to perform a pre-operative x-ray and post-operative mammogram on one woman.

The hearing heard how Mr Neale dismissed the complaints of a woman, referred to as Mrs B, with a history of endometriosis that the pain she was suffering were just "ovulation pains".

He eventually recommended a hysterectomy and afterwards said it was the worst case of endometriosis he had ever seen.

Mr Robinson said: "When Mrs B reminded Mr Neale she had been telling him of her pelvic pains for four years, he became very arrogant."

She consulted another gynaecologist and later returned asking for her medical notes, at which point Mr Neale became abusive, the GMC heard.

Rodney Ledward was accused of injuring hundreds of patients

Mr Robinson added: "He raised his voice considerably. She left the room and went to the waiting area. He placed himself between her and the street door and said she would live to regret it if she brought a lawsuit or made any official complaint against him.

"He followed her out into the street and continued to be abusive.

"When she refused to give the name of her new consultant he stuck his face into hers screaming petulantly and stamping his foot."

Mr Neale denies one charge of neither monitoring Mrs B's condition adequately nor treating her condition appropriately over the six-year period.

He also denies behaving in an unprofessional manner when she visited his surgery on 1 March 1995 and on 5 April 1995.

Mr Neale was accepted onto a provisional list of GMC assessors, the hearing heard, but later investigations found that on his CV he had claimed to be director of the North Yorkshire Women's Continence Centre, which had never existed.

Medal

Mr Neale had also claimed to have been awarded the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Silver Jubilee Congress Gold Medal in 1988.

In fact, the congress was held in 1989 and no medals were awarded.

Mr Neale is being sued by 60 women in the UK who claim they were left in pain - and in some cases with organ damage - following botched surgery.

He is also under investigation by North Yorkshire Police after claims that he falsified his qualifications to work as a surgeon in this country. He has not been charged with any offence.

Mr Neale issued an apology through his legal team on Monday shortly before the start of the hearing.

Dr Iain Barclay told the BBC: "Mr Neale would like to apologise once more and say how sorry he is to those patients who suffered post-operative complications."

The hearing is expected to last 20 days - one of the longest in GMC history.