Student optometrist erased after drug conviction

Cardiff-based student optometrist Aminur Rahman has been erased from General Optical Council registers after a fitness to practise committee heard he had been convicted of possessing a controlled drug of Class B with intent.

In making its decision, the committee, chaired by Margaret Hallendorff, said: ‘The registrant had, by reason of this conviction, brought the profession into disrepute, due to the seriousness of an offence which has a potentially harmful effect upon society as a whole. There is no evidence of any attempts to remediate.

‘This was a serious departure from a fundamental tenet of the profession set out in the Code of Conduct. The total lack of engagement with the Council has demonstrated a lack of insight into the seriousness of the registrant’s actions and their consequences for the public interest. In the circumstances, the committee has concluded that erasure is the only means of maintaining public confidence in the profession.’