after being charged with assaulting his estranged wife outside a bar.

John Paul Reed, 30, of Point Finger Road, Paget, was not required to enter a plea to the charge.

But yesterday King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where Reed is a surgical resident, said the Chief of Surgery had been ordered to keep "a watching brief'' on Reed.

A hospital spokeswoman said: "A watching brief on his activities is taking place and a report will be generated by his immediate superior.

"Any disciplinary action will come out of that report if that is one of the recommendations.'' She added that among the things observed are whether his behaviour is affecting his work performance and "noting his comings and goings''.

And she said: "At the end of the period it will be decided if any further action is to be taken.'' UK doctors are disciplined by the General Medical Council. No-one was available for comment at the GMC's London headquarters last night.

The court heard a statement from Reed's estranged wife Catherine, 28, a nurse at the same hospital, in which she said she left Pembroke's Robin Hood bar to use the telephone just after 1 a.m. on February 1.

Mrs. Reed's statement added she was questioned about a reconciliation and when she refused, Reed grabbed her shoulders and began hitting her head against the inside of the metal British-style phone box.

The complainant's statement also said she suffered bruising to her forehead, mouth, nose, scalp and the back of her head and that she was treated for her injuries at the hospital.

Crown counsel Lesley Basden told the court that Reed was later interviewed by Police and gave a statement.

In it, he admitted attempting a reconciliation, but claimed that his estranged wife made personal comments about him which upset him and that the two became involved in pushing each other.

The burly rugby-playing medic said that he had also suffered bruising as a result of the incident.

And he denied hitting his estranged wife against the phone box, although he admitted there was physical contact between them.

Under Section 64 of the Criminal Code, a Magistrate has the option of "binding over without proceeding to convict''.

That means no conviction is recorded if the defendant is of good behaviour within a specified time -- but if he is convicted of a similar offence during that period, he could be also be convicted on the original charge.