Physio caught intoxicated behind the wheel is suspended in UK... before launching new clinic in India where he claims 'drink-driving is not taken as seriously'

A 'reckless' physiotherapist who was caught intoxicated behind the wheel has been suspended from practising in the UK... only to set up a new business in India where he claims 'drink-driving is not taken as seriously'. 

Bijoy Bridewin Thomas, 45, was convicted of drink-driving in March 2024 after he was seen 'swerving all over the road' while more than three times the legal limit.

He had consumed 'so much alcohol that the proportion of it in his breath, namely 113 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, exceeded the prescribed limit', a misconduct panel heard.

Mr Thomas, an Indian national, was also convicted of driving without a licence or insurance after pleading guilty to all three offences. 

He was banned from getting behind the wheel for two years and two months, handed a community order and ordered to pay £249 in costs. 

However, the physiotherapist told the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) that in India 'drink-driving is not taken as seriously as it is in the UK', adding that he 'did not think that drink-driving was that serious'.

The Indian national 'didn't think it was a criminal offence', and said driving while intoxicated 'is not taken seriously in India', the misconduct panel heard.

Bijoy Bridewin Thomas, 45, has been suspended from working as a physiotherapist in the UK but has since set up a new business in India

Mr Thomas, who ran Reliefsake Physiosolutions in Stoke-on-Trent from 2019 until the company was dissolved last November, also told the hearing that driving without a licence or insurance is considered a very serious offence in India. 

However police said his car was 'swerving all over the road and the manner of driving was dangerous'.  

The HCPTS ruled that despite showing 'some level of remorse', the physiotherapist 'did not appear to appreciate how his actions could have resulted in very serious consequences'.

The misconduct panel said: 'Ordinary members of the public would be horrified by the registrant's behaviour in failing to uphold professional standards and abide by the law and that service users would lose trust and confidence in the profession and the regulatory process were there to be no finding of impairment.'

However, the HCPTS also noted Mr Thomas's 'personal and business circumstances at the time of these incidents, that it was a turbulent and chaotic time for him which caused him stress and impacted on his well-being'.

The panel heard that he was going through 'traumatic experiences in his life' around the time he was charged as there were 'financial issues' relating to business investment that he 'had to shut down'. 

It was also noted that there was an 'incident' with a patient which he found 'disturbing' and described himself as 'not in the right mind' when he was charged. 

Mr Thomas, who had only been working in a registered role for three months prior to the incident, and before that had been practising in India since 2007, told the panel that he 'had tried his best and made efforts to better himself'. 

He added that in the last year he 'believed God had miraculously healed him and everything in his life had started to resolve'. 

The physiotherapist had sought to portray his drink-driving as a 'mistake', however the HCPTS described his actions as 'deliberate, reckless and negligent'. 

The Daily Mail can reveal that despite the ban, he continues to work as a physiotherapist in India.

In January, just two months after he dissolved his Staffordshire-based business despite only incorporating it in May 2024, Mr Thomas founded a new venture abroad. 

Physiotherapy Yaanam, his new business, was created with a 'mission' to address 'major challenges' in the industry. 

This includes 'physiotherapy strategy, quality analysis, mentoring, practice development, service design, community rehabilitation, professional education and identifying gaps and bottlenecks in physiotherapy delivery'. 

Mr Thomas describes himself online as 'helping shape the future of physiotherapy through clinical excellence, structured practice systems, and professional mentorship' with nearly 20 years' experience. 

He also boasts that he is 'committed to elevating the profession by creating clinicians who think critically, lead confidently, and build practices that make a lasting impact'. 

Now he claims to mentor students and professionals in the industry and posts AI-generated content of himself treating patients or meditating on a cliff-top with messages about 'goodness' and the ancient Indian physician and scholar, Charaka. 

The HCPTS found that Mr Thomas's 'fitness to practise is currently impaired' and he was suspended for 12 months, meaning he is temporarily banned from practising physiotherapy in the UK. 

The tribunal service ruled it would be disproportionate to have him struck off. 

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