A paramedic working for the NHS has been suspended from practice after a tribunal found he had been dishonestly concealing a conviction for killing a pedestrian in his native South Africa.
A Deadly Secret Uncovered
Bradley Osner, 47, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, had been working on UK ambulances since 2016. However, he failed to disclose that 14 years earlier, in 2002, he had run over and killed a pedestrian while living in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Osner initially worked for the healthcare provider Falck Medical Services before joining the London Ambulance Service in 2020. Throughout his career registration, he was asked on four separate occasions by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) if he had a criminal record. Each time, he did not reveal his past.
The Truth Emerges Through Police Vetting
The concealed conviction only came to light in 2022 when Osner, a father-of-two, applied for a role with Thames Valley Police. A standard vetting probe uncovered that he had received a five-year suspended sentence in 2016 for culpable homicide related to the 2002 incident.
At a subsequent hearing of the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS), Osner claimed he was "unaware" of the conviction. He stated the accident was initially investigated by South African police, who told him no action would be taken. He said a trial date was set for 2016 while he was applying for UK paramedic roles.
Osner claimed his lawyer advised him to accept a guilty plea and the suspended sentence, which he described as a common outcome for such cases in South Africa. He argued that defending the case would have required impractical travel back and forth.
Panel Rejects Excuses and Imposes Suspension
The tribunal panel did not accept his explanations. They found his reflections "superficial" and concluded he had been deliberately dishonest to conceal his conviction from the HCPC over many years.
In a statement, the HCPTS spokesman said: "The Panel was satisfied that (Osner) failed to disclose the fact of his conviction in order to conceal it... His dishonest and repeated concealment was a serious departure from professional standards."
Despite testimonials speaking highly of his professional and personal character, the panel found Osner guilty of misconduct. He has been suspended from working as a paramedic for 12 months.
The case underscores the fundamental requirement for honesty and integrity within the healthcare professions, with the panel noting the concealment only ended due to an external police application.
