A paramedic working for the NHS in London has been suspended for a year after a tribunal found he repeatedly concealed a conviction for causing the death of a pedestrian in South Africa.
Concealed Conviction Over Many Years
Bradley Osner began his role as a paramedic in London in 2016 after relocating from South Africa. The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) tribunal heard that he had been involved in an incident in South Africa where he caused the death of a pedestrian while driving.
Osner claimed he was initially told no further action would be taken. However, around five years later, South African police contacted him, stating they had no record of the case being closed. Prosecutors subsequently brought a case against him for culpable homicide.
Guilty Plea and Failure to Disclose
The case was listed for trial in 2016, coinciding with Osner's applications for paramedic positions in the UK. He told the tribunal that defending the case would have required frequent travel back to South Africa. He stated he followed legal advice to accept a guilty plea, receiving a standard five-year suspended sentence.
Despite this conviction, Osner renewed his HCPC registration four times between 2017 and 2023 for his work with Falck and the London Ambulance Service. The panel ruled he did not disclose his conviction at any point during this period.
Tribunal Findings and Suspension
The HCPC panel found Osner committed misconduct. It expressed significant concern that his "concealment of his conviction from the HCPC was repeated over a period of many years" and was only uncovered due to a separate employment application with Thames Valley Police.
Osner insisted to the tribunal he was unaware of the formal conviction until he received a police clearance certificate from South Africa in May 2024. The panel rejected this, stating it showed a "lack of insight and a continuing lack of candour."
The tribunal noted there were no concerns about his clinical practice, which was described as highly qualified, and did not believe he posed a risk of harm to the public in that regard. Nevertheless, Bradley Osner has been suspended from the HCPC register for 12 months, a sanction effective until the end of November 2026.
