A SCOTS conman who lied about being a nurse and pocketed over £130,000 in a funeral service rip-off has been struck off the register.
Barry Fisher, who has additionally passed by Barry Stevenson-Hamilton, was convicted of fraud in a criminal offense which noticed him defraud 49 individuals throughout Fife in a three-year span from 2016-2019.
The 41-year-old pocketed an eye-watering £130,207 from aged and susceptible shoppers of his firm, Stevenson Funeral Administrators.
The previous help employee’s scheme concerned falsely main clients into believing that they might be supplied with a pre-paid funeral plan.
As a substitute Fisher, of Edinburgh, shredded the entire consumer’s particulars and pocketed the cash meant for his or her funeral companies.
The fraudster was subsequently tried at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Courtroom in July final yr (2022), the place he was jailed for 33 months.
This was adopted by an extra conviction in December 2022, which noticed Fisher discovered responsible of falsely representing himself as a registered nurse throughout the Covid pandemic in January 2021.
Fisher admitted in a trial at Hamilton Sheriff Courtroom to having “intent to deceive” whereas pretending to be a completely registered nurse at an tackle in Lanarkshire.
He was additionally positioned on a Momentary Suspension Order (TSO) on 9 March 2019, which he subsequently failed to tell his then-employer of.
A listening to of care watchdog the Scottish Social Companies Council (SSSC) thought-about his health to practise following Fisher’s convictions.
The SSSC panel agreed on Wednesday that the most effective plan of action was to take away Fisher from the register completely.
The panel agreed that Fisher’s health to apply was impaired, stating: “Social companies staff are required to behave with honesty and integrity always.
“You may have been convicted of portraying your self as a registered nurse and convicted of fraud.
“Such convictions symbolize an abuse of the belief and confidence positioned in you, and symbolize probably the most severe of exits from the codes of apply.
“These behaviours quantity to impairment that’s basically incompatible with skilled registration.
“The behaviour that amounted to you being convicted of fraud triggered members of the general public vital monetary and emotional hurt.
“These behaviours point out underlying values and attitudinal points.
“These behaviours might have positioned service customers at a danger of hurt had you labored in a task that you weren’t appropriately registered or certified to work in.
“All of the behaviours leading to convictions have been intentional in nature and are undoubtedly very severe.
“They quantity to a sample of deceptive behaviour that by their nature are extra inclined to be repeated.
“Repetition of comparable behaviours, in any type of setting, would put service customers and the broader public at an elevated danger of hurt.”
Fisher was discovered to have proven no regret with the panel agreeing: “There may be little proof you acknowledge your failings and the sample of behaviour and lack of perception counsel the behaviour is more likely to be repeated.”
The panel agreed {that a} removing was the required sanction, reasoning: “The behaviours have been of the best seriousness.
“You didn’t inform your employer of the imposition of a Momentary Suspension Order.
“The behaviour in respect of your fraud triggered vital hurt and was a sample that occurred over a interval of three years.
“The chance of hurt that might be brought on by a repeat of the behaviour is acute.
“The behaviour leading to your conviction for fraud quantities to an abuse of belief when contemplating the connection between you and the individuals you defrauded.
“You benefited financially by way of fraud and held your self out to be a nurse within the data you weren’t. These behaviours are severe concealments of wrongdoing.”
