Sir George Castledine could be struck-off over his relationship with widow, 83 Sir George Castledine, 67, counselled the woman after her husband died Her daughters became suspicious and monitored their phone calls Professor was heard telling the woman he needed to work out at the gym 'or I won't be able to make love to you' Panel rules that relationship was motivated by greed and lust Experienced nurse could be barred from practicing at London hearing Guilty: Sir George Castledine started a relationship with an 83-year-old widow out of sexual desire and financial greed, a panel has ruled A distinguished professor who was knighted for services to nursing could be thrown out of the profession over his relationship with an 83-year-old widow he was counselling. Sir George Castledine declared his love for the recently bereaved woman and told her he needed to work out at the gym so he could 'make love' to her. He denied that his behaviour was motivated by financial gain or sexual desire - but a committee sitting at the Old Bailey in London has now ruled that this was in fact false. The 67-year-old will be banned from nursing if the Nursing and Midwifery Council decides that his misconduct has impaired his fitness to practice. Sir George regularly visited the elderly patient and showered her with gifts and flowers, accepting thousands of pounds in return. The woman's family became so concerned about his behaviour that they bugged her phone - and heard him calling her 'Tinkerbell' and saying he had to go to the gym or he 'wouldn't be able to make love' to her. NMC panel chairman Susan Hurds said today that he had 'manipulated a vulnerable patient' while motivated by sexual gratification and greed. She added that the woman, known as 'Patient A', was 'clearly grief-stricken' following the death of her husband, and needed bereavement counselling which Sir George was not qualified to give. 'You gave evidence which the panel often found difficult to believe,' Mrs Hurds told Sir George. You lacked consistency in your response, added evidence and altered your story as it suited you. We concluded that you lied at the outset of the investigation and as the hearing continued. As evidence was put before you you modified your account. The panel finds it incredible that the endearments and erotic language you used at no other time than on the occasions on the tape. You were deliberately evasive and not consistent but intentionally changed your story. She added: 'The persistent nature of the telephone calls, late at night and early in the morning and the giving of gifts and eating together in an intimate setting were sexually motivated.' Treatment: Sir George first started working with the widow at Onneley House in Birmingham in November 2008 Sir George - who was knighted in 2007 - first treated the woman in November 2008 at Onneley House in Birmingham, part of the Institute of Ageing and Health. After the patient told her two daughters that she had begun an affair with the married father of three, they bugged her phone and were horrified to hear his repeated professions of love. Mrs Hurds said that the sisters acted solely out of concern for their mother, and were not motivated by financial gain. Sir George, currently a visiting professor at Glyndwr University in Wrexham, insisted that his chats with Patient A were nothing more than 'banter'. He told the hearing: 'Some of the phone calls later were sexual in some respects but it wasn't an offer of having sex with somebody or anything like that. One of the times I spoke to her she was having some trouble so I called her and on the telephone we would have banter. It was a befriending role that I had and I was befriending her. Distinguished: Sir George was knighted by the Queen in a 2007 ceremony at Buckingham Palace The nurse had previously admitted the contents of his conversations with the woman, and confessed that he had continued to see her even after he was told not to by an official. A number of other allegations, including the claim that he asked Patient A to lie about giving money to him, were initially denied but were ruled to be true by the NMC panel. Later this week the committee will rule on whether or not he can continue practising healthcare. Sir George formerly sat on the Welsh board of a predecessor to the NMC, and helped draw up the code of conduct for nursing which he has now breached. He is a former assistant dean of the nursing faculty at Birmingham City University, and an ex-consultant at Dudley Group of Hospitals.