Care worker struck off after assault and fraud

Awoman who assaulted her partner and went on a spending spree with a stolen bank card has been banned from working in the care industry.

Oceanne Camus had been working in the homes of vulnerable people and had access to their belongings.

She has now been banned from working as a care at home service support worker.

Camus was convicted of three offences at Dundee Sheriff Court.

At a hearing by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), investigators said Camus had “appeared to have denied” the convictions when asked about them by her employer.

In November 2020, she was convicted of assaulting her partner, by seizing her by the body and repeatedly striking her on the head and body to her injury.

Camus was also convicted of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards the same woman.

Both incidents took place in July 2020 at an address in Dundee.

The SSSC report said the offences indicated a “violent loss of self control”.

In December last year, also at Dundee Sheriff Court, she admitted using a stolen bank card she had found while working as a security guard in St Andrews.

The court was told the victim, who was studying at St Andrews University, lost her card following a night out at the town’s students’ union in January 2019.

Camus went to a garage in Dundee to buy a Yazoo drink, a Snickers and tobacco before later ordering food to her home in the city, stealing £33 worth of goods in the process.

The purchases at the garage were captured on CCTV, leading police to Camus, and she was arrested and charged.

In its report, the SSSC said: “In relation to your convictions involving your partner/ex-partner, these are serious as they are indicative of a violent loss of self-control.

“This is concerning given that you are registered with the SSSC and trusted to work with vulnerable individuals.

“Your behaviour fell far short of the standards expected of someone registered with the SSSC and is at odds of the values and ethos expected within the profession of looking after vulnerable members of society.”

It added: “You have not provided comments to the SSSC and therefore no reassurance can be taken that similar behaviour would not be repeated.

“Should the behaviour be repeated then there would be a risk of harm.”

In relation to the fraud conviction, investigators said: “As a social services worker you are expected to be truthful, open, honest, trustworthy, reliable and dependable.

“You acted dishonestly and did not behave in the manner expected of you.

“You abused the trust placed in you by your employer and members of the public.”

It added: “Although the behaviour occurred outside of working within the social services sector, the theft of a bank card is particularly serious given that you were trusted to be within vulnerable service users’ homes and had access to their belongings.

“Both dishonest and violent behaviour is an abuse of the trust placed within you while employed within the social services sector.”

Camus was banned from the industry indefinitely, effective from September 2.