An Inverness support worker has been struck off after being convicted of assaulting a child while on the job.
Richard Wetherall – who is based in Inverness – was working in Peterhead when he assaulted a young boy, resulting in him being charged and appearing at court.
According to a report by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), Mr Wetherall was convicted on November 1 last year.
The report stated: “You were convicted of assaulting AA, a child in your care, to the danger of his life.”
It also noted that Mr Wetherall’s behaviour was not an isolated incident but one of several instances raised between January 8 and 23 last year.
Mr Wetherall was found to have repeatedly seized hold of the child by his neck and pulled him, placed him in a headlock and repeatedly held his nose closed, restricting his breathing.
Actions by Richard Wetherall were ‘deliberate and prolonged’
He also repeatedly placed bedding over his face lifted and twisted his upper body aggressively, dropped him onto his bed and used excessive force to move or hold him.
The SSSC panel found that due to Mr Wetherall’s conviction his fitness to practice was impaired.
The report stated: “Your actions were abusive and demonstrate serious values and attitudinal issues.
“You failed to treat AA with dignity and respect and failed to work in a lawful, safe and effective way.
“Your actions were an abuse of trust and placed AA at significant risk of harm and fell far below the standards of a social services professional.”
The panel decided the only possible sanction was to remove Mr Wetherall from the social services register.
Their reasoning pointed to his behaviour – which they described as “deliberate and prolonged” – where “each incident involved multiple assaults” on a vulnerable person, a young boy.
The panel did not feel any other sanction was appropriate due to the seriousness of the behaviour Mr Wetherall displayed towards a vulnerable service user.
