A FORMER Bristol Medical School lecturer and renowned researcher has failed to get a restraining order against him lifted.

Cardiac physiology specialist Dr Allan Levi is banned from making any contact with his ex-wife Dr Jackie Addison, who practises as a GP in Shirehampton.

A court heard the pair, who have three grown-up children, had an acrimonious divorce in 2001 after Dr Addison had an affair with their gardener, Gordon Strong. Following a number of offensive letters sent by Dr Levi to Dr Addison, her parents, sisters and work colleagues, a restraining order was imposed in May 2004.

Yesterday, Dr Levi represented himself as he made an application at North Somerset Magistrates' Court to lift or vary the order.

It bans him from any contact with his ex-wife except through solicitors for matrimonial matters and from going anywhere she resides or works. One aspect, "clause C", makes it an offence for Dr Levi to send any correspondence or documents concerning his relationship with Dr Addison or his relationship with his children to any person or organisation apart from his parents, sister or legal advisors. Since, 2004, he has also been banned from contacting Mr Strong in any way, and he also applied to lift that condition yesterday.

Dr Addison, of Easton-in-Gordano, told the court: "I feel the current restraining order, as it is, is sufficient to protect me from having to go through what I went through in 2003 and 2007 and I feel that if it was dismissed, something would happen again."

Asked by Paul Ricketts, on behalf of CPS, what her specific fears were, she added: "That he'll start again basically, which will cause huge distress to me and my family, and particularly the children."

Much of Dr Levi's argument focused on clause C, which he believes is severely damaging his medical career.

"It is greatly unjust and disproportionate," he said. "It is a very wide-ranging and unusual clause to have in a restraining order."

In September last year, the General Medical Council suspended the 56-year-old from practising medicine for a year. Significant factors in that decision were the harassment conviction and restraining orders, and a diagnosis from 1999 that he suffered from bipolar mental disorder.

Read this article:
Bristol Evening Post published Prominent doctor fails to overturn his ban on contacting former...