Kasiri works at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital, in Margate

by Paul Hooper

One of Kent's top orthopaedic surgeons narrowly avoided going to jail today – after trying to cheat the revenue out more than £92,000.

Greedy Firuz Kasiri, 65, stashed away almost a quarter of a million pounds in earnings in a secret bank account.

The smartly-dressed Iranian-born doctor still works at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital, in Margate – even though he will now be electronically tagged.

Canterbury Crown Court heard that after his divorce from his wife, who was a sports scientist, the surgeon opened a Nationwide account.

And for a number of years he hid more than £230,000 in earnings for the extra work he did to keep down waiting lists at the hospital.

Kasiri, of Sandhurst Road, Cliftonville, was given a 12-month jail sentence - suspended for two years - after admitting fraud.

The court heard that after the investigation revealed his secret cash haul, the doctor has repaid the tax.

Judge Adele Williams told him: "There are millions of people in this country struggling to make ends meet in these difficult economic times. And they are all required to pay proper tax.

"Your actions were greedy, selfish and indefensible. You were doing a very responsible job, but you took advantage of a change in the way you were paid. And for a man in your position, it is particularly regretful."

She said that because of his medical work in "helping save lives and alleviating pain and misery" he would be spared going straight to prison.

But the doctor – whose teenage son Miles was once tipped as a future Wimbledon tennis champion – will have to stay at his home between 10 pm and 6am for the next six months and pay £1,000 in court costs.

Bridget Todd, prosecuting, had told the court he had failed to disclose his extra earnings to HM Revenue and Customs, which launched an investigation in February 2011.

She said: "He signed a disclosure about what bank accounts he had regarding his earnings between 2008 and 2009 – but he failed to admit that he had a Nationwide bank account to investigators.

"In July 2011, he spoke to fraud investigators and was asked why he hadn’t declared the second account and he said he hadn’t mentioned it because it only had a matter of pence in it. In fact there was some £230,000 which had been deposited in it."

Firuz Kasiri was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court

Philip Rowley, defending, said Kasiri had been a surgeon for 38 years, but had separated from his wife in 2005.

He added: "As a result of that he modified his work arrangements and was offered weekend work with the arrangement he was paid a gross figure, which he didn’t declare. He is extremely remorseful; and has since repaid the £92,622."

The judge was then handed a large folder containing letters of support from Kasiri’s friends, colleagues and patients. The doctor plans to retire soon.