A north-east nurse has been thrown out of the profession after being imprisoned for falsely accusing her grandfather of rape.
Natalie Mortimer has been struck off following a standards hearing at the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
The case of Mortimer, 25, came before the NMC after she was jailed for 22 months at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in January.
A spokeswoman for NMC confirmed last night that Mortimer, of Albyn Grove, Aberdeen had been struck off following a one-day hearing in London.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court earlier heard that Mortimer falsely accused her grandfather Gordon Ritchie of raping her when she was a child so she could get her hands on her inheritance, the court heard.
Mortimer eventually admitted she had fabricated the sex-attack claims.
This came after her grandfather had spent time in a police cell following the allegations.
When her mother asked Mortimer why she had accused her grandfather of abuse, she said she wanted him to go to prison so she could get her hands on his money.
In January, Mortimer showed no remorse as she left the court dock in cuffs, smiling at her friends in the public gallery, ready to start her 22-month sentence.
The court heard that 175 hours of police time had been wasted on the case.
When Mr Ritchie, who used to be a foster carer, was first contacted by police he was on holiday with Mortimer’s 15-year-old half-sister.
He had to cut short his holiday and was asked not to have any contact with children aged under 16.
As part of the investigation, previous foster children were also questioned and inquiries had to be made with social services and the health service, the court heard.
Over the course of many months, Mortimer spoke to numerous detectives, calling Mr Ritchie her abuser and a paedophile.
The court heard officers had been made aware she had lied only after Mortimer’s mother, Susan Simpson, began to doubt her story.
Representing the former Aberdeen Royal Infirmary staff nurse, solicitor Lynne Freeland said her client was aware she had “torn lives apart” with her greedy, selfish and cruel actions.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan told her: “False accusations of rape and other sex offences are very serious because they put doubts in the minds of jurors in genuine cases and they subject innocent people such as Mr Ritchie to a terrifying ordeal of suspicion and investigation by police.
“What you did to Mr Ritchie was truly evil.”