Dr Michael Hopkins, 42, forged the signatures of fellow doctors to replenish his stocks of pills, the General Medical Council (GMC) was told.

Dr Hopkins, of Cynheidre, Llanelli, admits faking prescriptions, but said the pills were intended for family and not private clients.

The GP denies his fitness to practice is impaired. The hearing continues.

When he was writing out these prescriptions, he might as well have been writing himself a small cheque Dayfydd Enoch, for the GMC

The GMC tribunal in Manchester heard that Dr Hopkins sold his private clients slimming tablets at �54 per packet and ran the clinic as a "pills on demand" service.

The panel heard that when police searched his car and home they discovered blank prescription pads belonging to a dozen other doctors.

Dayfydd Enoch, representing the GMC, said Dr Hopkins had forged prescriptions for slimming tablets, purportedly signed by fellow GPs, and made them out to his wife Sian and her parents, Jean and William Eynon.

He would then tour different pharmacies across south Wales pretending he was collecting the diet drugs on their behalf, the hearing was told.

'Minimal investigation'

Dayfydd Enoch, representing the GMC, said Dr Hopkins had suffered health problems since 1998 and had run the slimming clinic from 2001.

He said: "The private slimming clinic was started as a side activity.

"Basically, the clinic was run as a 'pills on demand' scenario.

"Dr Hopkins would see patients privately, for which he would obviously charge. He would provide tablets privately, for which he would also obviously charge, but there was minimal investigation into patients' suitability.

"In many cases they simply didn't qualify for weight loss treatment because they weren't overweight enough."

Mr Enoch said patients would contact Hopkins, often by post, asking for more pills.

He said the doctor filled out fake prescriptions for slimming drugs such as Sibutramine and Xenical, rather than buy stocks of the tablets.

Mr Enoch said: "When he was writing out these prescriptions, he might as well have been writing himself a small cheque."

Adverse health

Dr Hopkins was convicted on 9 August 2004 at Swansea Crown Court of three charges of obtaining property by deception.

The GP, who joined the Meddygfa Minafon practice in Kidwelly in 1995, was sentenced to a 12-month community rehabilitation order.

He was suspended by the NHS trust shortly after his arrest on suspicion of obtaining property by deception in September 2003.

Dr Hopkins denies the allegations, and that his fitness to practice is impaired by his misconduct, criminal conviction or adverse physical or mental health.