FAKE psychiatrist Zholia Alemi gave “reasonable care” to a young epilepsy sufferer who was found dead in his bath, an inquest heard.

A genuine psychiatrist this week gave his expert assessment of the care given to 31-year-old Darren King by Alemi, whose bogus 22-year career with the NHS was exposed by the News & Star.

Dr Jonathan Bird, called as an independent expert witness at the hearing, told the coroner: “I felt that Ms Alemi’s management and treatment of Mr King was very reasonable.”

Mr King, who had a history of epilepsy, autism, and learning difficulties, died in his bath after a fit. At the time he lived alone in a flat in Lowestoft, Suffolk, the inquest in Ipswich heard.

Mr King’s mother Jane King became concerned about him after she was unable to contact him by phone. She found him lifeless in his bath.

He was pronounced dead by paramedics on April 9, 2017. Almost three years earlier, in June 2014, he had his first meeting with Alemi.

She was employed as a locum psychiatrist by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust between April 2014 and April 2015 and Mr King was one of her patients, cared for in the community.

The fraudster, who later worked in west Cumbria, claimed she had a primary medical qualification when she first registered in the UK in 1995 and was allowed to practise for 22 years.

In reality, her claim to have a medical degree from the University of Auckland in New Zealand was fraudulent. She was jailed at Carlisle Crown Court for five years for fraud after she forged the will of an elderly patient in a bid to inherit her estate.

The News & Star later uncovered how she had used fake medical medical qualifications to begin her 22-year NHS career in the UK.

Suffolk’s senior coroner Nigel Parsley said: “I can’t consider Alemi to be a witness of truth.” She was not present at the inquest, and the court got a qualified psychiatrist to review her written evidence.

Giving an assessment of Alemi’s work with Mr King, Dr Bird said: “She seemed to be concerned about things which she should have been concerned about – his mental health, epilepsy and capacity.

“She involved others in the team. She wasn’t a clinician who just made decisions and told people to get on with it or made decisions without thinking about what others thought.

“It seems to me during what was a relatively short period of time when she was a locum and bussed into a series of cases that were fairly complex, she used her experience in learning difficulties and management of disability in a reasonable way.”

The inquest heard Mr King was advised to take showers rather than to take bath due to his epilepsy.

His mother wanted a flat so he could “be more independent”. He had previously worked as a school caretaker. But she said he could not always identify when he had had a seizure.

The inquest, listed for five days, is continuing.