West Sussex-based vet nurse removed from Register following fraud conviction

The RCVS Veterinary Nurse Disciplinary Committee (VN DC) has requested that a West Sussex-based veterinary nurse be removed from the Register following her 2024 conviction for fraud by abuse of position.

Gemma Louise Cole pleaded guilty to fraud on 2 July 2024 at Crawley Magistrates’ Court and, on 19 August 2024, was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months, as well as 20 days of rehabilitation activity and a £187 victim surcharge.

The RCVS opened its own disciplinary investigation against Mrs Cole after receiving the certificate of conviction and the VN DC hearing took place on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 February 2025.

At the outset of the hearing the Committee decided to proceed in Mrs Cole’s absence as she had not responded to any of the communications sent to her by the College about the investigation and disciplinary hearing.

Having found the charge against her proven by the certificate of conviction, the Committee then determined that the conviction, which related to more than £13,000 of pet insurance fraud, amounted to serious professional misconduct.

Dr Kathryn Peaty MRCVS, chairing the committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The respondent’s conduct… was plainly dishonest and contravened a fundamental tenet of the profession. She abused her professional position in order to commit the offence. The dishonest conduct in this case related directly to the respondent’s professional life, as she was working as a veterinary nurse when she completed and submitted the fraudulent claims.

“Her conduct also constituted a breach of the trust owed to her employer and to the insurance company to which her dishonest claims were submitted. She put her professional colleagues at risk as their names were used on the clinical records which purportedly supported her dishonest claims.

“Her misconduct was repeated and sustained over a period of many years. Her modus operandi was sophisticated and premeditated.

“The respondent’s conduct clearly had the potential to bring the profession into disrepute and to undermine public trust in the profession. A member of the public would be rightly appalled to learn that a veterinary nurse had abused her position by submitting false claims in this way.”

Having found serious professional misconduct proven, the Committee went on to consider the most appropriate and proportionate sanction for Mrs Cole, considering aggravating and mitigating factors.

The Committee found that there were no mitigating factors, and that aggravating factors included the premeditated nature of Mrs Cole’s fraud, the clear breaches of trust in respect of her colleagues, her clients and the insurance companies, the significant financial gain made from her fraud and the fact that the fraudulent activities were sustained and repeated over a period of four and a half years.

In announcing the sanction, Kathryn Peaty added: “Taking into account the gravity of her misconduct, the need to maintain standards of probity in the profession, especially in relation to practice records and the submission of insurance claim documents, as well as the maintenance of public confidence in the profession, the Committee has resolved to direct the Registrar to remove the respondent’s name from the Register.”

Please note: this news story is intended to assist in understanding the case and the Committee's decision. The Committee’s full decision and findings on this case can be found on our Disciplinary webpage.