Latest news with #professionalmisconduct
CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
Lawyer found guilty of 17 counts of misconduct: Law Society of Manitoba
A Manitoba lawyer has been found guilty of 17 counts of professional misconduct by the Law Society of Manitoba, with disciplinary measures to be decided at a later date. The decision dated June 20, 2025, found Paul Sydney Vyamucharo-Shawa breached the Law Society of Manitoba's Code of Professional Conduct following hearings that spanned eight months. A three-person panel found the 67-year-old sole practitioner guilty of offences such as breach of integrity, failure to treat the court with 'candour, courtesy and respect,' recording conversations with clients and other lawyers without their consent, and sending abusive or offensive correspondence. 'The panel cannot escape the very distinct impression that Mr. Vyamucharo-Shawa, to this day, lacks insight into the impact his behaviours and his words—spoken or written—have on others in the profession with whom he deals with on a daily basis,' reads part of the 78-page decision. The charges come after three citations were filed against him between 2022 and 2024, pertaining to a fee dispute with a former client, a real estate transaction and a litigation matter. Several of the charges pertain to letters he sent to a Court of King's Bench justice and the society, including asserting that the justice was 'continuing to hog and not doing the needful' and was engaging in 'needless improper interference with access to justice.' Vyamucharo-Shawa was previously suspended from practising law for six months in 2019 after pleading guilty to five counts of professional misconduct, according to files with the Law Society of Manitoba. In 2008, he also pled guilty to four charges of professional misconduct, and in 2000, he pled guilty to nine charges of professional misconduct—with multiple charges relating to misappropriation of nearly $20,000 from a trust account. In 1999, he accepted a formal caution for breaching a trust condition. The latest decision says the discipline committee administrator will be contacted to arrange a date for a hearing on sanctions.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Google scientist who slept with girl he first met when she was 13 avoids being struck off medical register
A Google scientist who slept with a girl he first met when she was just 13 has avoided being struck off the medical register. Dr Cian Hughes, a leading AI research scientist, first met the besotted schoolgirl when he was a 23-year-old fourth year medical student doing work experience at a hospital. The girl, who was 13 at the time, was admitted for treatment in 2011 and they formed a close relationship, in which he poured deep praise on her poetry skills and was even invited for sleepovers at her family home. They began a sexual relationship in 2015, when she was just 18 and he was 27 having just started working part time for Google DeepMind Health. They broke up in 2018. Hughes, now 37, is currently informatics lead at Google Health and one of the leading global experts on developing the use of Artificial Intelligence in medicine. He was reported to police in 2020 by the woman, now 27, and was quizzed by detectives. He was referred for a disciplinary hearing after no criminal proceedings were taken against him At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) Hughes, from Dublin, was found guilty of serious professional misconduct but escaped with a 12 months suspension - despite calls from the General Medical Council (GMC) for him to be struck off. This week the woman, known only as Patient A, and campaign groups criticised the decision as 'lax and light touch' and said Hughes should have lost his job. In a statement the patient said: 'The penalty feels very light touch and too lax for the impact he's had and the things he has done to me. My confidence in the medical profession is now pretty much non-existent. 'The reason I followed through with this for the last five years has been about making sure that other doctors don't do it to other patients. 'The age gap, my mental health at the time, the way we met, how much I trusted him and my naivety around relationships contributed to a very unhealthy power imbalance. The long-term consequences of his actions for me are potentially going to be lifelong. 'I had always said I wanted to give oral evidence but the process was victim hostile and didn't allow me to have a voice or even be treated as a victim by the MPTS.' The Manchester hearing was told Patient A, who was about to start her GCSEs, had been admitted to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children in March 2011 for an undisclosed procedure and Hughes - who was then studying medicine at the city's university - was allowed to observe and assist with the surgery. He subsequently visited her on the ward, forwarded her copies of her X-rays from his personal email and after she was discharged swapped emails with the girl over a two year period discussing school, University choices, and her ongoing treatment. During the exchanges Patient A sent Dr Hughes more than 50 poems which she had written asking for his feedback. She told him: 'Think you're probably the only medical person I know who doesn't seem to forget I'm still only 15 sometimes! 'I have to admit that I really miss having you around in meetings and surgical days (honestly I don't mind your cold stethoscope or big arrows) to translate the medical jargon, make me smile/laugh and realise that I'm not superhuman and get nervous about the prospect of future plans and surgery.' In response he said: 'I read your new poems and they are fantastic, you have a real talent. But I'm not sure if I would publish them. I think they are in some ways quite private and personal, once you publish something you can never take it back out of the public domain. 'If I were you I would keep writing and save them, then in the future you could always publish a retrospective selection. But that's just my thoughts, and I'm quite a private person.' He also gave her an iPod touch for Christmas. The girl moved schools to attend sixth form and was 17 when Hughes had completed his medical training and was working as a surgical trainee. In October 2014 he messaged Patient A and asked if she would be interested in a romantic relationship with him and they arranged to meet where they kissed. The hearing was told the relationship then continued with 'extensive messaging on a daily basis and of an increasingly personal and sexual nature.' Over Christmas that year he was invited to stay at Patient A's family home but caused annoyance when they kissed in front of her parents. They also exchanged Christmas presents, including green socks which became an 'in joke' between them. The girl would regularly visit Hughes' flat where they again kissed and engaged in some 'limited sexual activity.' They also sent messages to each other detailing sexual acts and fantasies which they described as 'daydreams'. In May 2015, Hughes attended Patient A's 18th birthday party having been invited by her parents and the following weekend the pair had sex on several occasions and even talked of marriage. But the relationship began to fizzle out and in 2018 he failed to respond to her emails. She reported the matter to the Metropolitan Police in June 2020 and Hughes was quizzed by police in April 2021 and provided a prepared statement. The investigation was closed with no criminal action taken. For the GMC Ms Colette Renton said: 'Patient A and Dr Hughes started communication when was not yet 14. It is hard to quantify the magnitude of the impression that Dr Hughes left on Patient A. 'She grew from an adolescent into a young adult with the constant influence of Dr Hughes over more than six years. Dr Hughes was a formative influence on her life and the abrupt end of the relationship was and continues to be devastating to Patient A. 'She was being placed in very adult situations when she lacked the maturity to be able to deal with the issues that arose.' Hughes, who is currently married, told the hearing: 'Receiving this complaint has been a very traumatic personal experience that has caused me to deeply reflect on my behaviours. I feel deeply personally responsible and sorry for how she feels about our relationship today.' For Hughes Ms Rebecca Harris said: 'Dr Hughes has apologised for the hurt and distress his actions have caused Patient A. 'He has accepted that he opened the door for the inappropriate communication but there can be no suggestion he selected Patient A when she was 13 as someone he wanted to a pursue a relationship with. 'When the relationship progressed Dr Hughes was a very young, naïve, inexperienced, emotionally immature doctor who got it very wrong indeed.' MPTS chairman Mr Duncan Ritchie said: 'Dr Hughes abused his professional position and entered into an improper relationship with a vulnerable patient who he had met in a professional capacity. 'However the Tribunal did not consider he exploited Patient A's vulnerability and the relationship had not developed during Dr Hughes' professional contact with Patient A - had this been the case, the misconduct would have been more serious.' Rebecca Cox, co-founder of campaign group Surviving in Scrubs, which has campaigned against sexual assault within the NHS, said: 'Sadly, this fits with a trend of sanction decisions that do not reflect the severity of the case or distress caused to victims. The MPTS repeatedly fail victims of sexual misconduct and violence.' And Prof Carrie Newlands, a consultant surgeon, and co-lead for the working party on sexual misconduct in surgery at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, said: 'This is yet another case of misconduct by a doctor against someone vulnerable with a significant power imbalance, and where despite the GMC recommending erasure, the MPTS have again given a lesser sanction.'
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
Chilliwack, B.C., teacher suspended over inappropriate comments
A teacher in the Chilliwack, B.C., school district was handed a one-day suspension after the province's regulator found he made inappropriate comments to vulnerable students. Robert Luke Acheson was an inclusion teacher in School District 33 in the 2022-23 school year when he made the comments, according to a consent agreement posted by the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation. The commissioner found that Acheson made comments to students about their physical appearance, and also referenced another staff member's appearance to students, on several occasions. In addition, Acheson was found to have shared an inappropriate personal story about his high school girlfriend, which included sexual details. He consented to a one-day suspension of his teaching certificate, admitting that his conduct constituted professional misconduct, having also told another story about a "traumatic personal incident" that included sexual details. "Acheson failed to maintain appropriate professional boundaries in discussions with students, by sharing inappropriate stories that included inappropriate content of a sexual nature, and by inappropriately commenting on the appearance of students and other staff," the consent document reads. In addition to the one-day suspension, Acheson was suspended for 15 days without pay by the school district after being reported in June 2023. He was also ordered to take a course on respectful professional boundaries, which he completed in August 2023, and was no longer permitted to undertake work with vulnerable students.
BreakingNews.ie
17-06-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Nurse guilty of professional misconduct over inappropriate behaviour towards female patient (18)
A nurse who made inappropriate and sexualised comments and sent follow-up text messages to a young female patient attending Beaumont Hospital in Dublin two years ago has been found guilty of professional misconduct. The nurse, Mark Lester Ordonez, admitted to a fitness-to-practise inquiry of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland that he had 'crossed the line' in his interactions with the 18-year-old girl when she attended the hospital on June 21st, 2023 for a endoscopy procedure, but begged to be given a second chance for his 'stupid mistake.' Advertisement The NMBI inquiry found five separate allegations of professional misconduct proven against the Filipino nurse, which included allegations relating to texts sent later the same day by Mr Ordonez to what he believed was the girl's mobile phone, but which actually belonged to her mother. The inquiry chairperson, Mary Leahy, said Mr Ordonez's behaviour represented a serious falling short of the standards expected of a registered nurse and he had 'crossed a boundary' by making a serious of personal and inappropriate remarks to a vulnerable, anxious patient and subsequently making unsolicited contact with her by text message. Ms Leahy also said the nurse should not have contacted the patient's mother who had made a legitimate complaint about him, while his actions also represented a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for nurses. In a written statement, the girl – identified only as Patient A – explained she was anxious about doing her Leaving Cert and it was the first time she did not need to be accompanied by one of her parents for an endoscopy as she had turned 18, although her mother was waiting for her in the hospital. Advertisement Patient A said she was taken aback by the nurse asking her: 'Are any boys adding to your stress?' The girl said she tried to laugh it off but felt extremely awkward before the nurse said, 'You are too pretty not to have a boyfriend,' and 'You remind me of my ex-girlfriend in Germany.' Patient A said the atmosphere in the room had changed at that stage and she felt 'really uncomfortable' and there was an awkward silence. The inquiry heard that the teenager fainted as she was going to have the procedure. Advertisement After it was finished, Patient A said she wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible and described how her mother was shocked to hear about the nurse's comments on their way home. The girl said she never wanted to be the reason why the nurse lost his job. In a separate statement, Patient A's mother said she did not make too much of what happened at first apart from feeling uncomfortable that the nurse was too old to be looking at her daughter in that way. The woman said she was shopping later that evening when she received a text which appeared to come from Mr Ordonez, which mentioned her daughter's name. Advertisement It read: 'Sorry to bother you and can't help myself to look into your number. If you are not happy or comfortable for me to message you just let me know. I'm so sorry again if that's the case.' Patient A's mother recalled: 'I nearly dropped with shock…I felt sick at the realisation that Mr Ordonez was essentially asking [Patient A] out.' The woman said she received another text from Mr Ordonez later that evening, which stated: 'By the way, what happened to you a while ago is called vasovagal syncope.' She said she could not believe the nurse had texted again, while her daughter was 'a bit creeped out.' Advertisement The woman said she contacted the hospital the following day to make a complaint. The inquiry heard she contacted Beaumont again the following month after receiving an aggressive text from Mr Ordonez on July 25th, 2023, which read: 'I hope you are happy now. I got terminated.' The inquiry heard that Beaumont Hospital took the decision to end the nurse's probationary period on that date following the complaint in relation to Patient A. Counsel for the NMBI, Miska Hanahoe BL, said the nurse's comments to the patient were inappropriate and of a sexual nature, while he had also inappropriately accessed her medical records to obtain her contact number and send a number of text messages when there was no clinical justification. The inquiry heard Mr Ordonez had offered 'heartfelt apologies' to Patient A and her family for his actions, but explained he was new to Ireland at the time. The nurse claimed 'every day is a learning experience' as he adapted to the culture, rights and responsibilities which operated in Ireland. Mr Ordonez gave evidence that he was a happily married man with a six-year-old son who had moved to Ireland to build a better life for his family. When working in the Philippines, the nurse said he would feel a responsibility to endoscopy patients after work by checking how they were after the procedure and did not realise that GDPR was 'such a big issue' in Ireland, although he had received training about it. Asked about his comments to Patient A, Mr Ordonez told his counsel, Bébhinn Murphy BL, that he was just making some joke as he saw the girl was really stressed. Mr Ordonez explained he just tried to 'make things light' by appreciating her physique, but denied having any sexual or flirtatious intention. He said he sent texts later that evening 'out of concern and nothing else' and to give her some information. Mr Ordonez said if he had any other intention, he would have asked Patient A if she was free for a coffee. The nurse admitted he had sent the text to the girl's mother the following month as a result of the anger, frustration and anxiety he felt after his employment at Beaumont was terminated. The inquiry heard Mr Ordonez has been employed at St James's Hospital in Dublin since April 2024, where a character reference from one of his managers stated that he was an individual of the highest integrity with an exemplary record, professionally and personally. At the conclusion of the inquiry, Ms Leahy said the fitness-to-practise committee would submit a report to the NMBI board together with a recommended sanction.
ABC News
10-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Doctor banned for sexual relationship and inadequate care provided to vulnerable patient
A "selfish, cruel and calculated" GP has been banned from practising for four years for having sex with a vulnerable, mentally-unwell patient who he also "dangerously" prescribed high-risk medication. South Australian doctor Indren Moodley's registration as a medical practitioner was suspended in late 2021 over allegations he "comprehensively breached the boundaries of the doctor-patient relationship". The Medical Board of Australia referred a complaint about the then-doctor on three grounds, alleging professional misconduct to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which has cancelled his registration until February 2029. In its ruling, published this month but delivered in February, the tribunal found Mr Moodley preyed on the "serious and complex" vulnerabilities of the young adult female patient, who was more than two decades younger than him. "We are satisfied that the respondent used the position of trust he had developed with the patient to exploit those vulnerabilities and to manipulate her, essentially in a calculated campaign to groom her to satisfy his own needs," the tribunal found. The ruling noted the then-doctor obtained the patient's mobile phone number from her medical records three weeks after she first saw him, and they exchanged 909 text messages involving "inappropriate, personal, non-clinical and sexual" content over 12 days. The tribunal noted Mr Moodley had invited the patient to his home and offered her alcohol despite knowing she had recently attended an alcohol detox program. He also had sexual intercourse with her. "It is particularly egregious that, despite the respondent's knowledge of the patient's alcohol addiction and her recent discharge from hospital for alcohol detoxification, he supplied and encouraged the patient to drink wine on the occasion they had sexual intercourse," the tribunal found. It also noted the then-doctor's care of the patient was inadequate as he failed to take a detailed medical history, a mental health referral lacked necessary details and he prescribed "high-risk" benzodiazepines inappropriately, including while she was in hospital under the care of other medical practitioners. "The respondent took advantage of the patient's multiple vulnerabilities and abused the power imbalance between them for his personal sexual satisfaction," the tribunal's ruling states. "His conduct was seriously unethical, predatory and cruel. "As her treating practitioner, the respondent was well aware of her vulnerabilities." The ruling also published an excerpt of a statement from the patient, in which she said Mr Moodley's conduct had "a big impact" on her, including causing sleeping problems and a distrust of men. "I am absolutely hurt and feel used and manipulated by a person who knew my physical and mental illnesses," she said in the statement. The tribunal noted no complaints had been previously made about Mr Moodley, but there was a "limit to the positive weight we can place on this given our findings as to the selfish, cruel and calculated campaign the respondent engaged in to satisfy his needs to the patient's serious detriment". It also noted he had admitted the grounds of complaint made against him and had shown insight and remorse. In the ruling, the tribunal said a "strong sanction" against Mr Moodley was necessary to protect the public, and acknowledged he had struggled with his mental health, professional and personal embarrassment and unemployment since his suspension in 2021. The tribunal reprimanded the doctor, cancelled his registration and banned him from providing any health service or applying for registration for four years from the date of the ruling on February 10, 2025. He was also banned from using the title "doctor" or "Dr" while unregistered.
