Nursing and Midwifery Council determination — substantive hearing
NMC panel strikes off nurse Mark Rebustes over convictions for indecent images of children
The Nursing and Midwifery Council's Fitness to Practise Committee has struck nurse Mark James Rebustes off the register after he was convicted at Dundee Sheriff Court of taking and possessing indecent photographs of children, finding his fitness to practise impaired.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 22 July 2026 · Updated 29 July 2026
Erasure (struck off the register)
Added to MedicWatch: 29 July 2026Report a correction
What does “struck off the register” mean?
Being struck off (the regulator calls this "erasure") removes the practitioner from the register. They are no longer permitted to practise this profession in the UK. Erasure can be reviewed after a minimum of five years, but is otherwise indefinite.
Concerning Mark James Rebustes, nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 19J0913O).
Decision date: 22 July 2026 · Hearing started 22 July 2026
In plain English
The NMC's Fitness to Practise Committee found that Mark James Rebustes's fitness to practise was impaired by reason of his convictions. In May 2025 at Dundee Sheriff Court he was convicted of taking or making, and possessing, indecent photographs of children between 2019 and 2023. The panel found the convictions very serious, noted he had disengaged from the regulatory process and shown no insight or remorse, and imposed a striking-off order, with an interim suspension order for 18 months.
Charges
That the registrant, a registered nurse, on 9 May 2025 at Dundee Sheriff Court was convicted of the following offences: (a) on occasions between 31 July 2019 and 24 May 2023 did take or permit to be taken or make indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children, contrary to the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 section 52(1)(a) as amended; and (b) on various occasions between 31 July 2019 and 24 May 2023 did have in his possession indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children, contrary to the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. In light of the above, his fitness to practise is impaired by reason of his convictions.
Findings
The panel found the facts proved in accordance with Rule 31(2) and (3) on the basis of the extract conviction report. Mr Rebustes was convicted on 9 May 2025 and sentenced on 17 June 2025 concurrently to a Community Payback Order with an unpaid work and other activity requirement of 300 hours. The panel determined that his behaviour breached sections 20.1, 20.3 and 20.4 of the Code, that the convictions were very serious and, although not directly related to his clinical practice and patient care, brought the nursing profession into disrepute and constituted serious breaches of its fundamental tenets. It found he had disengaged entirely from the regulatory process, had provided no evidence of insight or remorse and no evidence of steps to strengthen his practice, and that there was a risk of repetition. The panel found impairment on both public protection and public interest grounds. At sanction it determined the case fell within the NMC's definition of a highest risk case, that his actions were fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the register, and imposed a striking-off order together with an interim suspension order for 18 months to cover the appeal period.
Mitigating and aggravating factors
Mitigating factors
The panel considered that there are no mitigating features in this case.
Aggravating factors
The panel took into account the following aggravating features: deliberate breaches of the Code; failure to attend hearings, or to engage in the Fitness to Practise (FtP) process, without good reason; absence of or limited insight; offence involves vulnerable children.
Source
All facts on this page are drawn from the publicly published Nursing and Midwifery Council determination linked below. MedicWatch does not editorialise the regulator’s findings.
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