The Sunday News
A ZIMBABWEAN mental health nurse has been banned from the profession after he was convicted of sexual assault.
The watchdog for nurses and midwives said the nurse had brought the profession into disrepute and banned him from working as a nurse. Lloyd Moyo, who lives in Kirkcaldy , Fife, Scotland , and is said to be from Bulawayo, was said to have been convicted of a sex attack against a lone woman in September 2017.
However, Moyo (48), continues to deny he committed the crime after being convicted in May 2019 and given an 18-month community payback order (work done as part of an unpaid work requirement within a community sentence or suspended sentence order). After his conviction he was subject to an investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) who regulate the profession. He however, maintained his innocence but admitted his fitness to practice was impaired by the conviction.
In a decision notice, the NMC said: “The panel found that you have brought the medical profession into disrepute. The panel was of the view that although the matters which gave rise to your conviction did not relate to your nursing practice, during clinical practice you will likely come into close contact with female patients and colleagues.
“The panel considered that were this to occur, such patients and colleagues may be put at risk by such behaviours and could be caused physical and emotional harm. The panel also found that your conduct had breached the fundamental tenets of the nursing profession and therefore brought its reputation into disrepute.
“Regarding insight, whilst the panel acknowledged that you continue to deny the assault, you had shown limited insight into your actions and offered little explanation into the matters that led to the conviction. The panel was of the view that you did not fully address the impact the conviction had on the victim focusing more on how you have been impacted personally.
“In its consideration of whether you have remedied your practice, the panel was of the view that you have disassociated yourself from your actions and you have been unable to apply what you have learnt theoretically to your own situation. The panel is of the view that there is a risk of repetition based on your lack of insight into your behaviour around women and this potentially puts patients at risk of physical harm and emotional and psychological harm although it noted that the incident occurred outside of the confines of your clinical practice. The panel therefore decided that a finding of impairment is necessary on the grounds of public protection.”
They added: “The panel concluded that your actions giving rise to your conviction and the seriousness of this case amounted to significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse, and are fundamentally incompatible with you remaining on the register.”
On the decision to remove Moyo from the register, they said: “The panel was of the view that the findings in this particular case demonstrate that your actions were serious and to allow you to continue practising would undermine public confidence in the profession and in the NMC as a regulatory body. Balancing all of these factors and after taking into account all the evidence before it during this case, the panel determined that the appropriate and proportionate sanction is that of a striking-off order.– www.edinburghlive.co.uk/Sunday News Reporter.
