Nursing and Midwifery Council determination — substantive hearing
Struck off the register
The regulator’s term: erasure
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 David Kenneth Paul Mckeown, nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 96J0102N).
Decision date: 17 March 2026 · Hearing started 17 March 2026
In plain English
The NMC's Fitness to Practise Committee imposed a striking-off order on David Kenneth Paul Mckeown, a registered adult nurse from Belfast, on 17 March 2026. The panel found his fitness to practise impaired by reason of a January 2024 conviction at Belfast Magistrates Court for sending grossly offensive or indecent communications, namely online messages referring to sexual activity with children, contrary to section 127(1) of the Communications Act 2003. He had received a one-month suspended sentence. The panel concluded that the conduct was fundamentally incompatible with continued registration. An interim suspension order of 18 months was imposed pending appeal.
Charges
That, on 11 January 2024 at Belfast Magistrates Court Northern Ireland, Mr Mckeown was convicted of sending, on 21 November 2022, by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that was grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character, namely online messages on KiK referring to sexual activity with children, contrary to section 127(1) of the Communications Act 2003. He pleaded guilty on 30 November 2023 and received a one-month sentence of imprisonment suspended for one year. Charge proved by virtue of the certificate of conviction.
Findings
The panel found Mr Mckeown's fitness to practise impaired by reason of his conviction. The panel concluded the conviction concerned a specified offence at the higher end of the spectrum of seriousness and that there was evidence of deep-seated attitudinal issues, with no evidence of insight, remorse, remediation, or willingness to engage with the NMC process. The panel determined the behaviour was fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the register and that public confidence in the profession could only be maintained by a striking-off order.
Mitigating and aggravating factors
Aggravating factors
Mr Mckeown's conduct resulted in a conviction arising from deliberate and repeated communication exchanges of a sexually inappropriate nature regarding children over a period of time. A lack of insight, remorse and remediation. A failure to engage with the NMC process.
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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