Male nurse’s ‘improper’ relationships (From York Press)

Male nurse’s ‘improper’ relationships

10:18am Tuesday 25th September 2012 in News By Press reporter

A married middle-aged nurse started relationships with two young female nursing students and told one he would leave his wife for her, a misconduct hearing was told.

Christopher Conlin hugged, kissed and stroked the first woman during a series of illicit meetings in hospital supply cupboards, the hearing heard yesterday.

A few months later he started a relationship with a second 21-year-old student and spent the night with her in the same bed.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council heard the first student, referred to as A, was being mentored by Conlin after being threatened by a patient at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust’s York House in York.

“She will tell the panel that at that at that time she felt quite vulnerable,” said Hannah Stevenson for the NMC.

The woman, known only as Student A, described the relationship as slow to develop, beginning with flirtatious eye contact, before escalating.

Conlin told Student A that he had been thinking about her and had asked her if she felt attracted to him between April and July 2009, the panel heard.

The panel heard the pair never had sex during the course of their affair and all their encounters took place at York House.

It is claimed the relationship came to light after the second woman, Student B, told student A she had also been seeing Conlin between December 2009 and February 2010.

Student B told investigators that her relationship with Conlin began while she was on placement. She said he made a pass at her when they were out for lunch and told her he would leave his wife for her, Ms Stevenson said.

The panel heard that Conlin and Student B had spent a night away together and had slept in the same bed.

Student B said that although they had not had sex, they had “done everything else”.

After finding out that both students had spoken to each other, Conlin allegedly called Student B around 30 times and left her a number of threatening voicemails demanding to know who she had spoken to. During the trust’s investigation he claimed that Student A had led him astray. Referring to Student B, he said: “As a middle-aged man, when an attractive 21-year pays you such attention, it flattered me and seduced me.”

Conlin admits having an inappropriate relationship with both women but denies that his actions were sexually motivated.

He also admits the physical contact with Student A, but denies telling her that he would leave his wife for her.

If the panel find that his behaviour amounted to misconduct, he could be kicked out of the profession.