Student warned over train fare conviction

A student optometrist convicted of traveling on a railway without paying a fare and with the intention of avoiding payment has been given a warning by a General Optical Council fitness to practise committee.

Satibr Jhangra was stopped by a revenue protection inspector on the Cross Country Railway on June 28 2013 after failing to pay the £12 fare. The matter was taken to court, were Jhangra pleaded guilty to the offence and received a £307 fine.

The committee said the dishonesty shown by the registrant, who self-referred his case to the GOC, was at the lower end of the spectrum and described it as an isolated incident. As a result of the conviction, he had been unable to join the register of optometrists since January 2014. It added that he also volunteered to observe clinical practice with his future employer in order to refresh his skillset.