Practitioner to face FTP panel over fraud

A South London dispensing optician who was found guilty of defrauding more than £80,000 from several PCTs is due to appear before the GOC's fitness to practise committee on July 17 2008.

The Council alleges that Ronald James Preedy's fitness to practise is impaired because on March 16 2007 he appeared at Southwark Crown Court and was convicted upon his confession of nine counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception. He was subsequently sentenced to nine months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, with a supervision order to include 120 hours of unpaid work.

As reported in Optician, (News, May 4 2007), the court had heard that Preedy was registered with the GOC as a DO but routinely carried out sight tests and claimed fees from several PCTs including Sutton and Merton, Bromley, Kingston and Croydon. Preedy also signed claims under the name of a qualified OMP Dr Moustafa Yacub who was known to him.