Ex-nurse censured for second time

A nurse who was kicked from the profession for possessing hundreds of child sex abuse images was the subject of another disciplinary hearing yesterday.

Milton David McClelland was stripped of his licence in November 2019 by the New Zealand Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.

This came after he was sentenced to 101⁄ months in jail in January 2019 after Customs officials found him in possession of 470 images and videos of child sex abuse.

His actions were under scrutiny from the tribunal again due to a second conviction that came before he lost his nursing registration. He breached his release conditions after leaving prison in February 2019 when he failed to report to probation for three days. As a result he was sentenced to two months in jail.

Nick Davis, council for the Professional Conduct Committee, said at the time of the second conviction McClelland was still a registered nurse.

He said this kind of conduct was unacceptable and went against what the public expected of nurses. ‘‘This conduct is a significant departure from the standards expected of a registered nurse.’’

There could be a potential application for reinstatement in the future and this hearing would provide further context should that happen, he said.

The tribunal agreed McClelland had been convicted and, following submissions from Davis, deliberated as to what penalties could be imposed.

It concluded it would censure, or condemn the actions of McClelland, and order him to pay 25% in costs, a total of $3850.

This was on top of the $4500 costs McClelland was still paying from the original hearing, which he was paying at $25 per week. A fine was not an available form of penalty and McClelland had already had his licence cancelled.

McClelland was not present at the hearing.