A MALE nurse who pretended to be a teenage lesbian to get access to young girls has been struck off.
Barry McCluskey, who is currently serving a jail term, also had nearly 10,000 indecent images, including peeping tom videos, it was revealed this week.
The 42-year-old was jailed in 2011 after pleading guilty to 49 offences, which included posing online as a 14-year-old to get girls as young as 12 to perform sex acts.
This week his case appeared before the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), where disturbing new details about the former staff nurse’s offences emerged.
McCluskey, who worked at an unnamed Glasgow hospital, filmed children in swimming pools and had amassed 9,993 indecent images at his home in the city.
The father-of-two also apologised for the first time, writing in a letter to the NMC that he was “deeply ashamed” and regretted his actions.
The panel, at a hearing in Edinburgh, been guilty of making “Peeping tom type footage taken in public places that involved filming women and children in public baths.”
Two such videos had been discovered among the massive haul of indecent images, the NMC was told.
represented
McCluskey, who was not represented at the hearing, did not oppose his striking off and said he wanted the matter dealt with “ASAP”.
A letter from him was read out to the NMC in which he stated: “I am deeply ashamed of what I did and I deeply regret every second of it.
“I have to live with the consequences for the rest of my life.
“I have lost my liberty, some family members and my career.
“A career I love, and a career I found very rewarding.”
Brian Yates, the panel chair stated: “The panel determines that the behaviour of Mr McCluskey was in breach of the NMC’s code which states that you must adhere to the laws of the country you are practicing in.
“Any lesser sanction than that of striking off would be unacceptable in the seriousness of this case. The NMC has to show that nurses who act in this manner will not be allowed to practice again.”
The charges which were brought against McCluskey at his trial in 2011 included 39 counts of indecent behaviour towards girls between the ages of 12 and 16.
There were also five counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour, two charges of breach of the peace and three counts of downloading or distributing indecent photographs of children.
McCluskey was originally sentenced to six years and eight months in prison, but after an appeal in September 2012, had this reduced to four years and eight months.
He was also placed on the sex offenders list for life and will be continually monitored.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde declined to comment except to confirm that they no longer employed McCluskey.
