A PSYCHIATRIST gave two struggling drug addicts lethal doses of heroin substitute methadone, a medical tribunal heard.

Doctor Tom Onen, aged 52, of Orchards Way, Beckenham, prescribed a concoction of sedatives morphine and methadone combined with high-energy amphetamine dexedrine at Sunny Medical Centre, in Deptford.

Speaking for the General Medical Council, Andrew Collender said: “We allege there was over-prescribing in this case, which can cause a risk to the addict of an overdose, or the risk of the addict disposing of an excess of the drug on the illicit market.”

Dr Onen denies serious misconduct including allegations of irresponsible and inappropriate prescribing.

The tribunal heard medication was often prescribed at the clinic before any drug addiction had been confirmed in the patient.

Defending, Malcolm Fortune suggested patients had attempted to “pull the wool over the doctor's eyes” by over-exaggerating their drug habits.

Dr Onen's colleague, Dr Walter Onyango, of Welwyn Garden City, is also facing charges despite his decision to quit the practice last year.

One woman, named as Ms SW, was prescribed five times the fatal dose of methadone.

She was found dead two days later.

The male victim, Mr McH, died after being prescribed more than twice the lethal limit of the drug daily for a month.

One client explained to the court his shock at Mr Onen's methods of prescribing the drugs.

He said: “At my second appointment my prescription was raised to six phials of methadone a day, and when I spoke to Dr Onen about stabilising my habit we discussed a time period of three years.”

The hearing is expected to last four weeks.