ESTEPHANE: BAN FOR SCIENTIST WHO MOANED ABOUT DISABLED COLLEAGUES

A biomedical scientist who complained about having to work with ‘disabled’ colleagues and lied about two convictions has been suspended for six months.

Desmond Estephane moaned: ‘you have given me two disabled people, what do you expect?’ about a fellow worker with a repetitive strain injury.

Estephane, who joined Barking, Havering and Redbridge University NHS Trust on 17 November 2008, was given a final written warning following the ‘discriminatory’ remarks.

He also failed to report being arrested for assaulting his partner – a health service employee at another NHS Trust – on 27 October 2011 and was suspended, a tribunal heard.

Estephane was handed a community order, restraining order and ordered to pay compensation after being convicted of common assault in April 2012, but he didn’t tell his manager.

Following a review hearing at the Health Care Professions Council he was suspended for another six months.

He was originally suspended from the HCPC register last March.

Extending the suspension order on grounds of dishonesty and misconduct, Panel Chair Julian Weinberg said Estephane had shown a ‘lack of insight’ and could re-offend.

Mr Weinberg said: ‘Desmond Estephane’s lack of insight is demonstrated by his oral evidence.

‘Whilst he stated that he understood how the Panel came to its decision, he does not accept that his conduct or behaviour was wrong and therefore that it needed to be modified in any way.’

The suspension order comes into effect on the expiry of the existing order on 5 March 2015.

Estephane was present and represented at the hearing in London, which found his fitness to practice remained impaired.