Dentist free to continue working after death crash

A dentist who caused the death of an 11-year-old boy after losing control of his Porsche Cayman on a wet road is free to continue working.

Hassan Maan, 31, careered on to the other side of the carriageway and crashed into the Ford Focus taking Flynn Morrissey to school.

Flynn suffered fatal injuries despite wearing a seatbelt but his mother Nicola Clifford and brother survived.

Maan was convicted of causing death by careless driving last year and sentenced to a community order with 150 hours unpaid work. His one year driving ban has now expired.

His case featured in BBC4 documentary The Prosecutors: Real Crime and Punishment in February this year, in which prosecuting barrister Gareth Roberts confided to the cameras: ‘If I was on the other side, defending this case, I’d think ‘I’ll win this’.’

Maan, giving testimony at the General Dental Council, said he was still affected by the incident on the A34 in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, on 16 September 2013.

Maan said: ‘I still find driving quite an apprehensive experience, especially when the roads are wet, but there have been no further incidents since I resumed driving.’

He told the GDC he met Flynn’s family after the trial: ‘It was a chance for me to personally apologise about what happened.

‘She [the mother] wanted us both to try and move on with our lives.

‘The mother mentioned that she wasn’t interested in the legal proceedings, it was more to meet me and see how sorry I was for what happened and she didn’t want the boy’s life to bring any more suffering to anybody else.’

Maan said he hoped the public would ‘see how very, truly sorry I am for what happened.’

‘I’m still trying to be the very best dentist I can be. Even though I am really sorry about what happened, I try not to let it effect my patients,’ he told the hearing.

Oliver Renton, for the GDC, said it was ‘to [Maan’s] considerable credit [that he] attended to those injured and attempted to provide assistance until the emergency services arrived.’

Committee chair Peter Turner said: ‘We noted that you have been remorseful about the events and at the hearing today it was clear that the impact of this still deeply affects you.

‘We accepted the grave impact of this offence on all involved. However, the court transcript quotes the judge as stating your offence was “a momentary inattention is about the lowest level of careless driving”.

‘The judge also highlighted that you have a lot to offer to society indicating your usefulness to dentistry.

‘We were of the view that your response in the immediate aftermath of the incident was noteworthy in view of your personal injuries.

‘We found that you have shown good insight; you have shown remorse and made a sincere apology. You have maintained a professional standard of dentistry.

‘We concluded that your fitness to practise is not currently impaired.’

Maan, of Eton Drive, Cheadle, admitted the fact of his conviction for causing death by careless driving at Chester Crown Court on 13 February 2015.

The GDC found that his current fitness to practise was not impaired and imposed no sanction, leaving Maan free to continue to practise.