A bogus doctor, who illegally treated more than 3,000 patients – some at Ashford’s William Harvey Hospital – was today jailed for six years.

Levon Mkhitarian stole the identity of a real Thanet GP to land jobs caring for seriously ill people – even though he had been struck off.

The fraudster pocketed £85,000 from his illegal work – and treated 3,363 patients on cancer, transplant, general surgery, cardio and elderly wards – as well being on call in the A&E department.

All the patients have since been contacted and their medical notes have been reviewed by a consultant and medical director.

Jailing him today, Judge Adele Williams told him: "You stole the identity of a properly qualified doctor.

"You then compromised and put in jeopardy the safety and welfare of sick and vulnerable people."

"You compromised and put in jeopardy the safety and welfare of sick and vulnerable people..." - Judge Adele Williams

She added: "You were arrogant and calculating in the way you wouldn't come to terms with the fact that you had been struck off."

During the sentencing, Mkhitarian put his hand to his heart and was allowed to sit down.

His barrister said he did have some medical qualifications and had previously helped save lives.

Judge Williams was told that the deceit has had a “detrimental effect on the NHS” and patients who believed they were being treated by a qualified doctor.

She told Mkhitarian, who pleaded guilty to 22 offences of deception, fraud and visa offences: "The 36-year-old – born in Russia but travelling on a US passport – came to the UK in August 2007 after being sponsored by Dynamic Futures, an international recruitment company.

After extending his visa in 2009, he was granted provisional registration from the General Medical Council which allowed him a year’s training.

Prosecutor Jim Harvey told Canterbury Crown Court how Mkhitarian began the foundation course but never finished it – which barred him from working as a locum.

In June 2010 he was issued a migrants skilled work visa to work within the North London NHS and two years later he received a further visa.

Mr Harvey said that in March 2013 the GMC were alerted by the North West London Hospitals Trust that the conman had issued an email from a Joan Clarke at the GMC claiming he was qualified for a role he had applied for.

No person by the name of Joan Clarke worked at the GMC. An investigation later revealed he had been applying for posts for which he was never qualified.

On August 2014 he was struck off and told he couldn’t work as a doctor in the UK, the court heard.

“In August 2013, the defendant registered an email address in the name of a real doctor and created a number of false documents which were then used to apply for locum positions through various recruiting agencies.”

"To put it bluntly, he wanted to save lives. He came to the UK to be a doctor because of his admiration for the NHS..." - Simon Ray, defending

Mr Harvey said he conned one agency, Provide, into getting Mkhitarian work at the William Harvey Hospital as a GP in the cardiology department on April Fools Day last year.

The dodgy doc did four days in the department before working as a Senior House Officer on April 13 with responsibility for patient care, the prosecutor said.

Mr Harvey said it was only when the hospital’s HR department tried to create a smart card to enable him to use the computer – that it revealed he was using a bogus name.

Police were alerted and on April 18 he was stopped as he left the hospital but claimed to be Andreas Gabian, an Italian visiting his uncle on Oxford Ward.

“The ward was checked and no patient with that name was there. He was arrested and police found him carrying an American Driving Licence in his own name.”

Officers later discovered he had submitted fake documents to a number of agencies including IMS, RMR, RIG, RM Medics, Interact and Unite.

Mr Harvey said it was only Provide and RMR Recruitment who offered him work.

He said that the NHS has been left to pick up the bill of paying an unqualified doctor – but the extra cost of paying for every case to be reviewed by qualified staff.

The NHS say the cost of checking its records so far has reached £69,000.

"Most doctors' careers are built on reputation, training and trust. That is something he decided was easier to steal from a genuine doctor..." - Det Ch Insp Nick Gossett

Mkhitarian had undertaken some medical training in the USA and West Indies.

He registered a fake email in the name of a real doctor prior to being struck off.

Simon Ray, defending, said Mkhitarian was clearly not motivated by greed or to fund a lavish lifestyle.

He said his client lied because he couldn't admit he had been struck off to his wife and three-year-old son in the US.

Mkhitarian had moved to the States when he was 16 and was inspired to be a doctor by a grandmother who was a nurse.

He even applied for a job in Starbucks, but couldn't work there because of his special medical visa.

Mr Ray said: "Put it bluntly he wanted to save lives. He came to the UK to be a doctor because of his admiration for the NHS."

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gossett said it was a carefully constructed fraud and Mkhitarian had dedicated a lot of time to it as officers found many drafts of his forged documents.

He said: "Most doctors' careers are built on reputation, training and trust.

"That is something he decided was easier to steal from a genuine doctor.

"In this particular case the risk of harm to patients was not high but nevertheless his actions were selfish and reckless.

"Mkhitarian is now behind bars and hopefully use the time to realise the severity of his actions both for himself and those affected."