Student carer struck off after attempting to 'gouge victim's eye out'

A student carer has been struck off after attempting to “gouge” a person’s eye out during an attack.

Claire Gray was convicted at Greenock Sheriff Court of assaulting two members of the public in March 2021.

Ms Gray was found to have assaulted her victims while in possession of a screwdriver.

In one instance, she was found to have lunged and pushed a person to the ground before repeatedly punching and slapping them

She was also found to have grabbed a person by the hair before hitting them in the face and attempting to “gouge the eye out” of the complainer.

Following the conviction, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) found Ms Gray’s fitness to practice to be “impaired” and removed her from their register.

The watchdog said that while no harm came to their service users Ms Gray’s behaviour showed a “loss of self-control in a violent way” that could put them at risk.

The report added that they had been unable to assess whether there had been any insight, regret or apology and could not “asses the risk of repetition as lowered”.

“The SSSC considered there is a need to protect service users and the wider public of any potential repeats of these behaviours.

“There is an identifiable need to address this behaviour which is fundamentally at odds with professional
registration,” the report said.

On the support worker’s removal from the register, the SSSC, said: “The SSSC considers a Removal Order is the most appropriate sanction as it is both necessary and justified in the public interest and to maintain the continuing trust and confidence in the social service profession and the SSSC as the regulator of the profession.”