A banned doctor treated more than 3,300 patients at UK hospitals including the William Harvey Hospital, we can reveal.

Conman Levon Mikhitarian took the name of a real Thanet doctor when he landed the post of Senior House Officer.

He pocketed wages in excess of £85,000 during the two years he was able to carry out his scam.

Mikhitarian was allowed to treat patients on cancer, transplant and cardiology wards at hospitals – as well as carrying out general surgery work and in the A&E Wards.

We revealed exclusively last week how Mikhitarian had been struck off after landing senior roles throughout the country.

Now the 36-year-old Georgia-born doc – who never completed the formal training to practise in the UK - has pleaded guilty to 22 offences of deception, fraud and visa offences.

The NHS has estimated his scams have cost it in excess of £100,000.

He was caught out in April last year when an application for a hospital pass triggered the fact that he was using the name of a real doctor.

Mikhitarian was confronted at the hospital but pretended to be an Italian national visiting his father on one of the wards.

Officials immediately checked the ward and discovered no such patient existed and he was stopped before fleeing.

Police and NHS officials then discovered he had been working a Senior House Officer and as a GP in the cardiology department.

Two weeks ago he admitted – by TV link to prison - that between August 2013 and April he failed to declare he was no longer entitled to practise as a doctor in the UK.

Mikhitarian, who has an address in south-east London, posed as the genuine doctor to get work at the RMR Recruitment agency, which provides staff to hospitals.

Police believe he completed some training but lied about being registered with the General Medical Council in 2010- when he was only had provisional status.

He also lied to other recruitment agencies RM Medics, IMSRecruitment, Interact Ltd, RIG ltd and Unite Ltd.

But we can reveal that Mikhitarian was struck off last year after accepting roles for which he was not qualified all over the country, including Taunton, Crewe, Oxford and Harrow, where he worked as a locum house officer in surgery and medicine and urology.

Mikhitarian is due to be sentenced next Friday.