Illawarra: Nursing graduate Leon Thomas Raikes is barred for one year over criminal sexual history
A nurse graduate from the state’s south coast has been banned from working in the profession for a year, after failing to disclose his criminal sexual history.
Illawarra Star
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A nursing graduate from the state’s south coast won’t be able to work in the profession for at least a year after his history of sexual offending was discovered.
The Health Care Complaints Commission prosecuted a complaint against registered nurse Leon Thomas Raikes before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Raikes, 29, was found guilty of unsatisfactory conduct after failing to disclose his criminal conviction, and falsely declaring no change to his criminal history since his conviction.
Back in 2021, Raikes had completed a bachelor of nursing degree and had two job offers waiting for him as he applied to be registered as a nurse in September 2021.
However, he was charged on November 25 that same year for sexually touching another person without consent, with his first appearance in court on December 15.
Despite continuously stating he didn’t remember touching a person in the loungeroom of a friend’s house, he pleaded guilty to the offence.
He was convicted on October 19 2022 and sentenced to a seven-months community corrections order.
After his conviction, Raikes was meant to notify the National Board within seven days and attempted to do so, but was told he could tell them at his next renewal.
This was incorrect and the HCCC accepted Raikes received the wrong instruction, however he was still found guilty for failing to inform them of his conviction.
He was also found guilty of falsely declaring there had been no changes to his criminal history during an online registration renewal on April 27 2022.
While Raikes was a registered nurse on December 16 2021, he hasn’t ever been employed as one.
As a result, Raikes can’t apply for registration for at least one year.
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