Shropshire care home nurse cleared to work on after assault on wife

A Nursing and Midwifery Council tribunal heard father-of-three Clarence Masara, from Shrewsbury, admitted assaulting his partner but was given a suspended sentence last year.

The hearing in London yesterday was also told he had received a caution for the same offence in 2007.

But Masara said his conviction at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court last year had no effect on his nursing abilities.

The panel handed him a five-year caution order which will remain on his record, but he will otherwise be free to return to work.

Panel chair Ian Luder said: "It was a sustained assault some of which took place in front of your children."

But he added that Masara, who is believed to work at a care home in Northamptonshire, appeared to have shown "genuine and sincere" regret.

"'The panel did not consider that your patients were put at risk of harm', Mr Luder added.

"It is necessary in this case to reaffirm clear standards of professional conduct and behaviour.

"The panel determined that your fitness to practise is currently impaired by reason of your conviction."

Masara had asked the panel to give him "the benefit of the doubt" and repeatedly spoke of his dedication to the nursing profession.

"I am not going to dispute the facts from the magistrates and the Crown Court because there is no reason for what I did," he said. "To this day I am still disgusted at what I did. I lost focus on the priorities in my life at that time.

"As a father, I still want to be a role model. I have learnt a lot from my mistake.

"If I lost my nursing profession, I would not be able to look after my family properly. I have three sons and two of them have speech disabilities."

Masara was sentenced in November last year to four months suspended for two years at Shrewsbury Crown Court for assault.