An unnamed veterinary nurse has been struck off by the RCVS VN Disciplinary Committee for claiming to be a veterinary surgeon and for making offensive and discriminatory remarks on the social media platform X (Twitter).

The individual, referred to as Mrs D throughout the hearing and who was granted anonymity by the Committee on grounds relating to her health, faced three charges against her.

The first charge was that she posted the tweets from her Twitter/X account.

The second charge was that in a number of tweets (Schedule 1 below), she falsely stated or implied that she was a veterinary surgeon, and that, in some tweets, while falsely holding herself out to be a veterinary surgeon, she used language that was offensive and/or unprofessional.

The third charge was that in a number of tweets (Schedule 2 below) she made statements that were offensive, discriminatory and brought the veterinary professions into disrepute.

At the outset of the hearing Mrs D admitted all the facts of the charges against her, and also admitted that her conduct amounted to disgraceful conduct in a professional capacity.

The Committee considered that there were a number of aggravating factors in Mrs D’s behaviour, including a lack of probity and integrity, as well as dishonesty, in holding herself out as a veterinary surgeon.

Her conduct was also premeditated and took place over a lengthy period of time, involved abuse of her position, and demonstrated discriminatory behaviour, as a large number of her tweets were highly offensive towards various minority groups.

In mitigation, the Committee heard from the respondent that she had a number of difficulties in her personal life which led to inappropriate use of social media, though she did not suggest these factors excused her behaviour.

The Committee also considered that Mrs D had a long and previously unblemished career of 15 or so years, had made early admissions (albeit she had initially denied being responsible for the tweets) and shown considerable remorse.

However, in terms of the sanction, the Committee considered that removal from the Register was the most proportionate sanction it could impose.

Paul Morris, who chaired the Committee and spoke on its behalf, said: “For a registered veterinary nurse to pretend to be a veterinary surgeon on a public platform is itself an extremely serious matter.

"When that presentation is associated with the highly offensive language of the tweets in this case, extending over a period of years, the conduct is in the view of the Committee fundamentally incompatible with continued registration.

“The Committee has concluded that removal from the register is the only sanction which is sufficient to satisfy the public interest in maintaining proper standards of behaviour for registered veterinary practitioners and public confidence in the profession and its regulation.”

www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

The Tweets

Schedule 1

1. “@cbbc really disappointed that you don’t highlight the work that registered vet nurses do too! A vet practice couldn’t run without us!” 
2. “As a vet nurse she needs more education on foxes! This is scaremongering” 
3. “Funny listening to a teacher, who had brought her poorly cat in, moaning about schools opening next week, to me.. a vet.. who has worked in practice alongside our fantastic nurses and office staff throughout lockdown” 
4. “In my experience as a vet I would take your pup along to your local vets free nurse clinics and they will give you all the correct advice you need” 
5. “Tell u what I worked as a vet nurse whilst I trained to be a vet plus worked at local Beefeater to save what we’ve got-it’s called bloody hard work!” 
6. “I was paid 6k a year working 42 hours a week as a trainee vet nurse in 1996 whilst waiting for opportunity to get into vet school” 
7. “Please give my RVN colleagues the professionals respect they deserve by stating salary range” 
8. “No one claps for us, we don’t get discounts or great pensions… we are there 24/7 for your fur babies… perhaps we should strike?... I don’t know a single vet nurse or vet that would put animal lives in danger to do this though” 
9. “Yeah we’re driving round in Ferraris and doing snow angels in our cash. There’s no NHS for pet which is why twits like you don’t understand costs to run a vet practice” 
10. “My clients are lovely thanks, so are their pets. You’re an obvious pathetic trolling Karen and I feel sorry for your dog (and your vet if you have one, I’m sure you’re very popular there)” 
11. “I’m a vet dear I deal with the aftermath of horse cruelty weekly- considering you’re a minority, traveller horse cruelty is a huge problem!” 
12. “As a vet, and I think I speak for the entire profession, the Tories can feck off” 

Schedule 2 

1. “I’m a vet dear I deal with the aftermath of horse cruelty weekly- considering you’re a minority, traveller horse cruelty is a huge problem!” 
2. “Black people kill more black people than any other race… perhaps they should practice what they preach” 
3. “She stop ALL this woke and immigration crap and return the UK to its indigenous citizens” [In response to question about what Margaret Thatcher would do if she returned to power] 
4. If White British moved to African nations (let’s be honest they’ll be empty soon) and rebuilt towns/cities you can bet all the illegal grimmigrants will flood there… lazy entitled scroungers” 
5. “The #WEF want population control but are happy for feral African men to flood Europe?! I don’t get it” 
6. “Ha ha funny how the #BLM lot are all ‘ard until the pickeys come after them” [In response to a post about a rally staged near traveler homes] 
7. “I bet I know what religion the taxi driver was…” [in respect to an article about a taxi driver who refused to pick up a blind person] 
8. “Kent is a shithole mainly thanks to bottles of piss from lorries being chucked out the window as they travel from ports! Plus the feral being dumped here by London borough councils”
9. “@UK Labour you happy to let this one in too? @refugeecounsel… I think you and yours should be held accountable for each and every crime these ferals commit!!” [In response to a post about a crime committed by an asylum seeker]
10. “Black black black black racist racist racist blah blah blah” [In response to a post about King Charles and Harry/Megan] 
11. “Literal animals” [In response to a post of a picture apparently showing one Muslim woman on top of another- the original post said “was this some kid of modernised Islamic prayer”] 
12. “Import the third world become the third world” [In response to a post about conviction of Somali men on drug charges] 
13. “Feral #BLM” [In response to a post about “cultural decline”] 
14. “Import feral expect feral” [In response to a video apparently showing a school principal stopping a gang attacking a pupil] 
15. “Does he feel as strongly for the underage girls groomed by Pakistani men right under our noses” [In response to a BBC Question Time post of a black audience member’s comments on the case of Shamina Begum]
16. “We know who is responsible and it’s not British Christian’s!! Why has the @Conservatives allowed this to happen to our country?!” [In response to a post about a dead sheep found in Brook in Birmingham]
17. “These aren’t genuine refugees you blinkered melon and that’s why London is a third world s**thole” [In response to post by Sadiq Khan about violence against asylum seekers and refugees] 
18. “Minorities do not want to integrate with anyone and they all hate each other too- Kent is a multicultural sh*t hole” 
19. “Import feral expect feral” [In response to a report about a stabbing incident next to an asylum centre in Ireland] 
20. “Like a swarm of locusts” [In response to a post of a photograph of a small boat apparently carrying migrants off Florida Keys in the United States] 
21. “When you’re in control we are flooded with African freeloaders” [In response to a post about crime in Labour run areas] 
22. “Happy to ban it [the Quran] in the UK- they can move” 
23. “Probably fed up with clearing up [poo emoji] and detritus by the ferals” [In response to a post about a Kerry hotel housing migrants not renewing its contract] 
24. “@SuellaBraverman you’re literally importing thousands of rapists” [In response to an article about an asylum seeker convicted of rape] 
25. “Seriously why do you live here?? There are plenty of predominantly black nations where you won’t suffer hate or violence… oh wait…” [In response to celebrity criticism of Jeremy Clarkson statements on Megan Markle] 
26. “Stop Islamification of this country- ban Halal, 2nd wife benefits & burkas should do it.” 
27. “You are allowing the UK to be turned into a third world country complete with an antiquated homophobic, misogynistic, animal abusing, pedophilic religion dictating law and order.” 
28. “@Conservatives when will you actually ask UK taxpayers if THIS is acceptable for the UK? Misogyny, homophobia, animal abuse, pedophilia is not welcome in civilized society” [In response to a report about building of a mosque] 

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