A care home boss who sexually assaulted vulnerable residents and claimed his behaviour was 'just banter' has been struck off by the nursing regulator. William Malcolm, 61, from South Shields, was a registered nurse and manager at a residential care home when he committed offences against four residents with mental health issues requiring full-time support. He also sexually assaulted three other women and racially harassed a colleague.
Convictions and Sentence
Malcolm was jailed for three years and three months at Newcastle Crown Court after a jury convicted him of 10 charges of sexual assault, two of ill-treating a person in care, and one racially aggravated harassment. He was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely. His sentence was referred to the Attorney General's Office under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme but remained unchanged.
NMC Panel Decision
A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) panel formally struck Malcolm off the nursing register. The panel found that his actions caused physical and emotional harm to vulnerable patients and colleagues, brought the profession into disrepute, and breached fundamental tenets of nursing. The panel noted a previous NMC case in 2012 involving a sexual remark and a racial gesture at a Christmas party.
The panel stated: 'Mr Malcolm's convictions give rise to fundamental questions about his professionalism... confidence in the profession could not be maintained if he is not removed from the register.' They also noted he showed no insight or reflection and was unlikely to remediate. An interim suspension order for 18 months was imposed to ban him during the 28-day appeal window.
Details of Offences
Prosecutor Anne Richardson explained that Malcolm's offending came to light after whistle-blowers came forward. Some victims lacked capacity due to physical or mental health difficulties. One victim with mental health issues and weight problems was called inappropriate names like 'fat f*****' and 'fat c***' by Malcolm, who also grabbed his testicles. Another victim was kissed on the lips and called a 'slapper', with homophobic remarks made about her son.
Malcolm kissed another woman multiple times and thrust himself towards her. A woman with PTSD and a personality disorder told him to 'get off' as he thrusted towards her on a rocking chair, leaving her frightened. In another incident, he grabbed a woman's breasts from behind and thrust his groin towards her. He ran his hands up a woman's thigh and touched her bottom, then laughed when she expressed anger. He also made racist remarks about one woman's partner, leaving her uncomfortable.
Impact and Mitigation
Richardson said Malcolm showed 'hostility towards disability' and that the care home, which cannot be named, was shut down after his behaviour came to light, with all staff losing their jobs. In mitigation, Olajide Lanlehin said Malcolm, a former coal miner, was 'deeply impacted' and had no previous criminal convictions. He said Malcolm wanted to create a family environment but was 'old-school' where banter was allowed, adding: 'In the modern world, there is no place for such banter.'
