DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE OF THE COLLEGE OF NURSES OF ONTARIO
Panel:
Chairperson, RN
Member, RPN
Member, RPN
Public Representative
Public Representative
BETWEEN
COLLEGE OF NURSES OF ONTARIO Counsel for College of Nurses of Ontario
- and -
Rose Marie Turford #80-1290-8
REASONS FOR DECISION
NOT REPRESENTED for Rose Marie Turford
Heard: March 4, 1997
A panel of the Discipline Committee met at 0915 on March 4, 1997 to hear an allegation of professional misconduct against Rose Marie Turford, RN. Ms. Turford was not present, nor was she represented by legal counsel.
Notice of Hearing
Legal counsel for the College of Nurses of Ontario presented the panel with the Notice of Hearing, as follows:
You have committed an act of professional misconduct as provided by subsection 51(1)(a) of the Health Professions Procedural Code of the Nursing Act, 1991, S.O. 1991, c.32, as amended, in that on or about March 5, 1996, while a member of the College of Nurses of Ontario, you were found guilty of an offence relevant to your suitability to practise, and in particular, you were found guilty of 1st degree aggravated robbery.
An Affidavit of Service was entered as evidence showing that the Notice of Hearing had been served to Ms. Turford on February 7, 1997.
The panel was presented with Exhibit #2 which is a hand-written letter from Ms. Turford, explaining that she was not in attendance due to incarceration and that an appeal process is in place, which she hopes will exonerate her.
Exhibit #3 was a certified copy of the judgement from the trial of Rose Marie Turford from Harris County District Attorney's Office in Houston, Texas. A jury found Ms. Turford guilty of aggravated robbery in the 1st degree.
Decision
The panel deliberated, and unanimously found Ms. Turford guilty of professional misconduct.
Penalty
Counsel for the College made submissions with respect to penalty and recommended that Ms. Turford’s certification of registration be revoked.
The panel deliberated, and unanimously accepted counsel’s recommendation to direct the Registrar to revoke Ms. Turford's certificate of registration.
Reasons for Decision
The reasons are that Ms. Turford had behaved in a manner unacceptable to the profession such that she carried out a:
Threat of violence with the use of a deadly weapon
Breach of trust by committing an act of theft
The panel deemed these two reasons to be inappropriate professional behaviour on the part of Ms. Turford.
I, , RN, sign this decision and reasons for the decision as Chairperson of this Discipline Panel and on behalf of the members of the Discipline Panel as listed below:
, Chairperson Date Member, RPN
Member, RN
Public Representative Public Representative
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