Sam Scheggetman: Former nurse who stole from dying patient disqualified from profession for 12 months

A former nurse convicted of stealing from a dying patient’s wife before embarking on a spending spree, with purchases including cat food and smokes, will have to wait if he wishes to return to the profession.

Samuel Gerrit John Scheggetman in 2020.

A former nurse who stole bank cards from a dying patient’s wife has been barred from returning to the profession for 12 months.

Samuel Gerrit John Scheggetman, of Bermagui, appeared before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Tuesday following a complaint by the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) that he had been convicted of a criminal offence and was guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct by failing to notify the National Board of his court proceedings.

Scheggetman was convicted in 2020, following a plea of guilty, for larceny and eight counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and was sentenced to a three-year community correction order, ordered to pay the victim $300 and was fined $7200. On appeal, the fine was reduced to $2400.

In evidence tendered to the tribunal by the HCCC, Scheggetman stole $300 and two bank cards from a handbag left in an unattended room at Bega Hospital, where he had worked as an enrolled nurse.

He then used the bank cards to make 19 purchases, totalling at least $1189, inside a two-hour period.

The Bega District Court. Picture: File.

Police documents tendered to the court stated Scheggetman went on the spending spree after his shift while still in his uniform, and bought McDonald’s, high end sparkling wine and liquor, cigarettes and cat food.

The court heard he had lost his job as a result of the incident.

Scheggetman, who was represented himself before the tribunal, said he didn’t realise he had to notify the board of his criminal actions.

“ (Scheggetman) indicated there was nothing that he was able to submit to advance the matter,” the tribunal outcome stated.

When making a decision, the tribunal considered Scheggetman had not been working as a nurse since October 2020.

“If the practitioner was still registered the tribunal would have cancelled his registration,” the tribunal outcome stated.

The tribunal disqualified Scheggetman from being a registered nurse for a further 12 months.