HAYNES:DENTAL NURSE WHO HELPED RUN CANNABIS FARM STRUCK OFF

A crooked dental nurse who helped run a cannabis farm has been kicked out of the profession.

Sarah Haynes was given a community sentence after she admitted aiding and abetting drug cultivation while registered as a dental practitioner.

That court appearance followed previous convictions for burgling a house as well as theft, shoplifting and aggravated vehicle taking.

Haynes, who was previously registered at the dental practice in 1 Harwood Gardens, Waterthorpe, Sheffield, was struck off by a panel of the General Dental Council in central London.

She did not turn up at the hearing, and indicated by telephone that she had ‘no intention’ of continuing to work in dentistry.

Panel chairman Rita Glover said: ‘The committee considered that the seriousness of the offences necessitated a finding that Ms Haynes’ fitness to practice was impaired by reason of her convictions, and in the light of the fact that the committee has seen no evidence of rehabilitation, she is impaired.’

She added that the panel had considered imposing conditions on Haynes or suspending her, but had decided that these were not strong enough sanctions.

‘The committee was mindful that it has a duty to safeguard public confidence in registered dental professionals.

‘Ms Haynes has stated that she has no intention of returning to practice in the future, however as long as she remains registered, that is an option that remains open to her.

‘Conditions are not practical given Ms Haynes failure to engage with the GDC and that the committee knows nothing about her present circumstances. Furthermore, the nature of the offences leads the committee to doubt that she would comply with any conditions that were imposed.’

She added: ‘The committee has therefore determined that it is necessary and proportionate to erase Ms Haynes’ name from the Dental Care Professionals Register.’

Shaun O’Malley, for the GDC, took the hearing through Haynes’ seven criminal convictions, which began on 6 September 2008 when she burgled a house in Killamarsh, Chesterfield, stealing 22 CDs and an X-Box game.

She was sentenced at North East Derbyshire and Dales Magistrates Court in October that year to a 12 week prison sentence suspended for 12 months with a four month tagged curfew and compensation and costs.

Less than two months after receiving that sentence, she committed a series of motoring offences, including aggravated vehicle taking, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and driving without a licence or insurance.

She was dealt with at Sheffield Magistrates Court, receiving a driving ban and a probation order and told to pay costs. As a result of breaching her earlier suspended sentence, she was told to undertake an ‘advanced thinking skills programme.’

She breached her suspended sentence again in October 2009 by stealing six Julian McDonald purses worth £102 from Debenhams. Following that, her period of supervision was extended for six months and she was told to pay £50 in fines and costs.

Her final court appearance came on 15 February this year, when she was handed a 12 month community order with 100 hour of unpaid work and a training requirement at Derby Crown Court after she admitted aiding and abetting the production of cannabis.

Mr O’Malley said: ‘In short, there was a search of the home address, and six large tubs were found in a rear bedroom, together with lights and extraction hoses.

‘No plants were present, but there were leaves, and plants appeared to have been recently harvested.’

Mr O’Malley told the court that it emerged Haynes had told her employers of some of her previous convictions, but not of her more recent driving and shoplifting offences which saw her breach her suspended sentence.

He said: ‘It was that which led to her dismissal from her work.’

The panel also heard some details from the mitigating remarks at the Crown Court sentencing. These revealed that she has a daughter.

The committee upheld charges that while a registered dental nurse, Haynes had been sentenced for burglary, theft, using a motor vehicle without insurance, driving otherwise than in accordance with a license, failing to stop at the scene of a road accident, aggravated vehicle taking and property damage, breaching a suspended sentence, shoplifting and aiding and abetting the production of a Class B drug.
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