Nurse suspended after ‘disgusting’ comment which he claimed was Gervais joke

A nurse has been suspended after making a sexualised remark about children during a conversation with a colleague, which he later said was a joke originally told by comedian Ricky Gervais.

James Murray said words to the effect of “if they can bleed, they can breed”, a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) tribunal ruling said.

Mr Murray admitted saying this, but claimed he was repeating a joke originally told by Gervais.

Gervais, responding to the ruling on X, said he has “never said anything like this in a sketch, a screenplay, stand up or privately”.

The tribunal panel wrote that Mr Murray, a nurse at St Andrews Community Hospital in Fife, Scotland, was accused of engaging in a “highly inappropriate and unprofessional conversation of a sexual nature involving children” with a colleague on July 22 2022.

The conversation occurred in front of other colleagues and could have been overheard by patients, the panel wrote.

Another colleague said she found the conversation “really disgusting”, adding: “You don’t know anybody’s backstory and yeah, for me, it particularly upset me.”

Mr Murray said his comment was “misinterpreted” and a “joke”, adding that neither he or his colleague involved in the conversation were “the authors of this”.

He added:”We didn’t make this particular joke up.

“We were repeating the joke or interpreting the joke.”

The panel found: “After considering all the evidence, the panel was not satisfied that it supported the contention that the exchange was confined to a simple retelling of a joke.

“It was of the view that the investigation notes, and the oral evidence indicated that the conversation extended beyond a single joke into a wider discussion which included further sexualised remarks involving children.

“The panel was therefore satisfied that whether the words were original to you or repeated from a joke was not determinative of the factual issue it was required to decide.

“The panel found that you did say those words and chose to engage with the conversation.”

It added:”Although described at the time as a ‘joke’, the panel determined that such language has no place in a professional healthcare setting.

“The panel considered that this conduct demonstrated a serious lack of judgment.

“It was capable of causing shock and distress to colleagues, risked reputational damage to the profession, and was inconsistent with the standards expected of a registered nurse.”

The tribunal heard that earlier that same day, Mr Murray swore and stuck two fingers up at the charge nurse during a discussion about a staffing decision related to Covid-19 protocols.

Mr Murray was suspended for six months.