The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has suspended a Lancashire-based veterinary surgeon for one month after he admitted using funds from his former practice to purchase goods for personal use.

The vet appeared before the committee in June with two charges against him. The first concerned a number of purchases he had made using a practice credit card between 1st January 2019 and 31st December 2019 which were intended for his personal use, amounting to £8,495.77. Purchases included £134.92 on timber, limestone, sand and plywood; £139.99 on aluminium; £125 on calcium propionate; £571.60 on “sheet plastics” and £233.99 on an iPhone. False invoices were produced to account for the spending. The second charge was that his conduct in relation to the first charge was dishonest.

At the outset of the hearing, the defendant admitted all the charges against him and also admitted that, in his view, the conduct amounted to serious professional misconduct. The committee noted that his conduct involved a series of dishonest actions, sustained over a number of months, and that this was not a momentary lapse of judgement but had clearly involved time and thought.

Aggravating factors included that he had been reckless towards the potential impact on fellow professionals and the reputation of the practice; that the conduct was premeditated and sustained; that he had breached the trust placed in him by his employer and that the conduct was undertaken for financial gain. Mitigating factors: he had apologised for his behaviour, had admitted the allegations, had made frank admissions to his employer and to the RCVS during their respective investigations, and had remediated the conduct by undertaking psychotherapy and counselling as well as repaying his debt to the practice.

The vet had a previous suspension for “dishonesty regarding mobility score assessments for cattle”.

Committee chair Neil Slater stated that without the mitigation available, “a much longer period of suspension would have been considered appropriate and proportionate. The committee has determined that following a period of suspension the respondent is safe to return to practice”.

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/veterinary-professionals/conduct-and-guidance/concerns-about-veterinary-professionals/disciplinary-committee-hearings