DO sails into trouble with the GOC

A dispensing optician who was found guilty in a magistrates court of testing sight when not qualified will appear at a GOC disciplinary hearing next week.

David Semmens, a former Brixham Yacht Club commodore, was convicted in September last year. At the time it was reported that the sight test in question was carried out on an optometrist (News, October 1 2004).

The charge is that while a registered optician he was convicted of a criminal offence. The basis of the charge is that: 'on September 17 2004, you were convicted at South Devon Magistrates Court of testing sight while not being a registered medical practitioner or registered ophthalmic optician contrary to section 24 of the Opticians Act 1989'. In addition 'on 17 September 2004, you were sentenced to pay a fine of £300 and a contribution of £235 toward prosecution costs'.

Semmens is due to appear before the GOC's disciplinary committee panel on January 21.

The separate case of Robert Matthew Thompson, a Nottingham-based optometrist, will follow on the same day. He was convicted on June 25 last year of 12 counts of false accounting at Nottingham Crown Court. In August he was sentenced to a community punishment order of 100 hours in relation to each count - to run concurrently - and ordered to pay a contribution of £2,250 towards prosecution costs, £250 to the Department for Work and Pensions, and £2,000 to the investigating local authorities.

Thompson is charged that while registered he was convicted of criminal offences.  

Finally, two days have been set aside for the separate case of optometrist Simon Morelli, who has been charged with serious professional misconduct.

The details of the charge are that on February 13 2003 Morelli prescribed near-vision spectacles for a patient and that prescription was inappropriate; on the same date he prescribed distance-vision spectacles for the same patient which were also inappropriate; and finally he kept inadequate records of the consultation.