Disciplinary Hearings

Disciplinary Hearings are the culmination of the RCVS complaints procedure.

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee (DC) follows court procedures and complaints must be proved to the highest civil standard of proof - 'so as to be sure'.  New Disciplinary Guidance (PDF 215Kb) was issued in December 2007 and is used as an aid to decision making at Disciplinary Hearings

If you are attending a hearing as a witness, or would like an overview of the procedure of a Disciplinary Hearing you can download and read the Witness Information Pack. (PDF 108Kb)

If found guilty of serious professional misconduct and ordered to be suspended or struck off the Register, a veterinary surgeon may appeal to the Privy Council within 28 days. If appealed, the order does not take effect unless and until it is upheld by the Privy Council.

The press is notified of any hearings due to take place and an official announcement appears in The Veterinary Record. The hearings are generally conducted in public and reported by the press.

The outcomes of disciplinary hearings are also recorded in the RCVS Annual Report. Veterinary surgeons who have appeared before the DC since the beginning of 2004 are as follows:

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

2008

November 2008

• Mr Kfir Segev - 10 November - announcement, charges, adjournment

October 2008

• Mr Lyndon Arthur Basha - 3 October - announcement, final decision on sanction

September 2008

• Mr William Angus Baird - 4 September  - findings (PDF 107Kb), press release

July 2008

• Mr Leslie HIGGOTT – 29 July - findings on decision (PDF 90Kb) and findings on sanction (PDF 67Kb), press release
  Note: This hearing was resumed from May 2008, see below.

June 2008

• Mr Marthinus R BOTES and Mr Marius R LOUW - 16 June - announcement, findings (Mr Botes), judgment (Mr Botes), findings (Mr Louw) and press release.

May 2008

• Mr Leslie HIGGOTT - 2 May - findings and press release
  Note: This hearing resumed on Monday 28th July and Tuesday 29th July 2008 – see above.

April 2008

• Mr Russell L OAKES - 18 April - announcement, press release

February 2008

• Mr Joseph L HOLMES - 25 February - announcement, judgment on sanction and press release

January 2008

• Miss Judith KAY - 28 January - announcement, decision and press release

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2007

December 2007

• Mr Paul A EVANS - 12 December - announcement, charge, findings, judgment and press release
  
• Mr William W SIM - 10 December - announcement, findings and decision and press release

November 2007

• Mr John B WILLIAMS - 12 November 2007 - announcement, charge, findings, judgment and press release
  Note: Mr Williams made an appeal to the Privy Council about the Disciplinary Committee decision, but this was dismissed at a hearing on 9 June 2008 – press release.

October 2007

• Mr Robert W MORRIS - 1 October 2007 - findings, judgment and press release

September 2007

• Mr Peter G HANLON - 13 September 2007 - announcement, decision and press release
  
• Mr Mark D HINDS - 10 September 2007 - announcement, charge, decision and press release
  
• Mr Maurice J KIRK - 6 September 2007 - announcement
  Note: This hearing has now been removed from the list. (4 September 2007)
  
• Dr Reza D'EHGHANI - 3 September 2007 - announcement, charges and findings and press release

July 2007

• Mr William Angus BAIRD - 19 July 2007 - announcement, charge, findings and press release
  
• Dr Reza D'EHGHANI - 16 July 2007 - announcement
  Dr D'Ehghani successfully applied for an adjournment. The hearing resumed on 3 September (see above).

June 2007

• Mr Paul Mark HALLUM - 18 June 2007 - announcement, charge, findings and press release

May 2007

• Miss Margarida DOS SANTOS CORREIA - 24 May 2007 - charge, findings and press release
  
• Mr Ranes Kumar SANYAL- 21 May 2007 - decision, press release

April 2007

• Mr Robert William MORRIS - 30 April 2007 - announcement, decision

March 2007

• Mr Mpho Donald LESOLLE- 12 March 2007 - announcement, amended charges, findings, judgment and press release

February 2007

• Mr Lodewijk E A DE SMET- 26 February 2007 - announcement, charges, findings, decision and press release
  
• Mr Ranes Kumar SANYAL - 6 February 2007 - announcement
  Note: At the request of his Counsel, Mr Sanyal's application for restoration was adjourned today [6 February 2007] until such time as Mr Sanyal applies for the hearing to be resumed.
  
• Mr Michael Mario McCARTHY - 1 February 2007 - announcement, amended charges, findings, judgment and press release

January 2007

• Dr John Alan WALKER - 29 January 2007 - announcement, amended charges, findings, judgment and press release
  The Privy Council heard an appeal against the decision of the Disciplinary Committee on 30 October 2007. Although it upheld the Disciplinary Committee's finding of Serious Professional Misconduct, it reduced the sentence to a six-month suspension. You can read about the Privy Council's decision here or in our press release.
  
• Miss Judith Lesley KAY - 26 January 2007 - announcement, decision and press release

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2006

December 2006

• Mr John Francis McKENNA - 12 December 2006 - announcement, charges, Statement from Martyn Jones MP, findings and reasons, judgment and press release
  
• Miss Judith Lesley KAY - 11 December 2006 - announcement, charges, findings and press release

November 2006

• Mr Lyndon Arthur BASHA - 10 November 2006 - announcement of resumed Inquiry, decision and press release
  
• Mr William Wylie SIM - 9 November 2006 - announcement of resumed Inquiry, judgment and press release
  Note: Mr Sim was given until 14 December 2006 to lodge an appeal against the Direction of the Disciplinary Committee on 9 November 2006 to remove his name from the Register. No appeal was lodged by Mr Sim and, accordingly, his name was removed from the Register with effect from 15 December 2006.
  
• Mr Robert William MORRIS - 6 November 2006 - announcement
  Note: This inquiry has been postponed until 30 April 2007 - a formal announcement will be posted in due course.

October 2006

• Mr Maurice John KIRK - 6 October 2006 - announcement, Committee's advice, judgment and press release
  
• Mr Joseph Lennox HOLMES - 2 October 2006 - announcement, amended charges, findings of fact, judgment and press release

September 2006

• Mr Lyndon Arthur BASHA - 4 September 2006 - announcement, charges, findings of fact, findings of disgraceful conduct, adjournment and press release
  Note: This hearing resumed on 10 November 2006 - see above

May 2006

• Mr David Christopher WILSON - 3 May 2006 - charges (PDF 40Kb), findings (PDF 53Kb) and decision (PDF 34Kb).

February 2006

• Mr Michael SIMONS - Mr Michael Simons has withdrawn his application for restoration to the Register. His hearing in front of the RCVS Disciplinary Committee, which was to have taken place on 1 February 2006, has therefore been cancelled.
  Press release - posted on 31 January 2006.

January 2006

• Mr William Wylie SIM - 31 January 2006 - charge sheet (PDF 44Kb) (see July 2005 below), findings (PDF 43Kb), judgment (PDF 54Kb) (as read out) and decision on charge3 (PDF 36Kb).
  Press release (PDF 60Kb) - posted on 2 February 2006.
  Note: This hearing resumed on 9 November 2006 - see above

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2005

• Mrs Susie MACLEOD- 8 November 2005 - findings and judgment (see below for charges) and press release
  NOTE: Mrs Macleod appealed to the Privy Council against the Disciplinary Committee's decision on 12 June 2006. Their Lordships decision was reported in Latest News (25 July 2006) and is available in full on the Privy Council website.

• Mr Maurice John KIRK - 7 November 2005 - findings, relevant questions for the Application for Restoration as set out by the Disciplinary Committee and press release

• Mrs Susie MACLEOD - 5 September 2005 - charges.
  NOTE: This hearing was adjourned on 7 September 2005 until 8 November 2005 (see above)

• Dr Roy Anthony EARLE - 21 July 2005 - charges (amended), findings, judgment and press release

• Mr William Wylie SIM - 18 July 2005 - charges, decision and press release
  NOTE: The Disciplinary Committee part-heard an Inquiry into Mr Sim in July, which will resume in January 2006.

• Mr Ranes Kumar SANYAL - 25 April 2005 - charges (amended), findings, reasons, judgment and press release
  NB. Mr Sanyal lodged an appeal with the Privy Council against the decision of the Disciplinary Committee to remove his name from the Register of Veterinary Surgeons. Having received confirmation from the Privy Council that Mr Sanyal has withdrawn his appeal, Mr Sanyal's name was removed from the Register of Veterinary Surgeons with effect from 10 March 2006.

• Mr Gordon LONSDALE - 9 March 2005
  NOTE: Mr Lonsdale's application for restoration to the Register hearing was adjourned. (Details of the March 2004 hearing are available below.)

• Mr Romeo Raykov TONCHEV - 7 March 2005 - charges, findings and reasons and press release

• Mr Denis Patrick CRONIN - 31 January 2005 - re-amended charges, findings, judgment and press release

• Mr James Gerard ALLCOCK - 7 January 2005 - full reasons, judgment and press release

• Mr Maurice John KIRK - 6 January 2005 - decision and brief reasons, detailed reasons and press release

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2004

• Mr James Gerard ALLCOCK - 1 December 2004 - charges and reasons

• Mr David Edward SMITH - 22 November 2004 - decision and press release

• Mr William Henry Stirling MANSON - 11 November 2004 - decision and press release

• Mr Laurence Lindsay SWIFT- 10 September 2004 - charges, findings, judgment, reasons and press release

• Dr Helen Elisabeth HEIN - 20 July 2004 - decision and press release

• Mr Alan Roderick TAIT - 1July 2004 (Appeal to Privy Council) - press release

• Mr Gordon LONSDALE - 29 March 2004 - charges, judgment and press release

• Mr Owen DAVIES - 10 March 2004 - charges, findings & reasons, judgment and press release

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