Jeremy Chatterton, 51: Manly man who pretending to be a doctor at a Manly Covid-19 testing centre banned for life

A pathology swab collector, who pretended to be a specialist doctor and “examined” a young woman at a Sydney Covid test centre, has been banned for life.

A doctor using cotton swab while doing coronavirus PCR test at a hospital. Jeremy Chatterton, 51, of Manly, was convicted in Manly court of impersonating a doctor at a Covid testing centre while working as a pathology swab collector. Now NSW authorities have banned him from ever offering a health service to the public again. File picture: Getty Images

A Covid-19 swab collector who pretended to be a specialist doctor and “examined” a young woman while he worked at a Sydney Covid testing centre, has been banned for life.

Jeremy Chatterton, 51, felt the 23-year-old woman’s lymph nodes in her neck and asked her to open her mouth and “say ah” at the Manly collection site during the pandemic.

The former medical supplies salesman from Manly even invited her to visit him at his own “practice” if she wasn't feeling better.

After he was convicted in Manly Local Court in December of impersonating a doctor and common assault, the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) continued investigating Chatterton.

The HCCC has now permanently prohibited him from offering any type of health service to the public.

Jeremy Chatterton, 51, of Manly, outside Manly Local Court on December 21, 2002, were he was convicted of impersonating a doctor. Picture: Manly Daily

It found that his “conduct poses a risk to public health and safety”.

The health complaints watchdog said Chatterton had breached multiple codes of conduct for unregistered health practitioners.

The Manly Daily reported on December 21 that Chatterton had been working as a pathology swab collector at a Covid PCR testing centre set up in the Royal Far West children’s health headquarters at Manly when he told the woman that he was a “respiratory doctor”.

Jeremy Chatterton, 51, of Manly, outside Manly Local Court on December 21, 2002, were he was convicted of impersonating a doctor. Picture: Manly Daily

Chatterton pleaded guilty to one count of not being a registered health practitioner take/use title and one count of common assault.

In the facts sheet tendered to court police stated that the female victim had first visited the testing clinic on June 27 where Chatterton took nose and throat swabs.

The woman said she had not been feeling well “for a long time” and was not sure why.

He said: “Come back another time when I’m not so busy … and we can chat about it more”.

The woman returned on August 8 for a PCR test and told Chatterton she hadn’t been feeling well.

A queue, in December, 2021, for the Covid testing centre at the Royal Far West HQ at Manly where Jeremy Chatterton pretended to be a respiratory doctor. Picture: Julian Andrews

Chatterton told her to take her mask off, open her mouth and say “ah”.

He then felt her lymph nodes and “gently pressed around the underside of her jaw with his fingers”.

“The victim only consented to the accused touching her as she believed he was a doctor performing a physical examination,” the police stated in the facts sheet.

Chatterton then told the woman “we may as we well have a chat” as he was a “respiratory doctor”.

He asked her about her iron levels and the irritable bowel syndrome she suffered with before he said he would write her an “unofficial referral” to her own GP for blood tests.

When the woman visited her GP in Manly, the doctor became suspicious and contacted police and the Health Care Complaints Commission.