Aussie Man Posing As Nurse Convicted For Injecting Customers With Botox

A man has been found guilty of carrying out a number of procedures that involved injecting patients with cosmetic injectables despite never being a registered nurse.

Scott McLennan was convicted and fined $15,000 on Friday by a West Australian magistrate on two counts of holding himself out to be a nurse over charges related to his time working at a cosmetic clinic in WA between 21 August and 12 November last year.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) who levelled the charges, claimed McLennan was performing the duties of a registered nurse when he worked at the clinic and was in breach of national laws.

CEO Martin Fletcher said AHPRA was determined to take "swift action" against people who pretended to be registered or be nurses because of public safety.

"Patients put their trust in properly qualified and registered practitioners, and it is a gross violation of that trust when someone falsely claims to be registered," Fletcher said.

‘While some people think they can get away with this type of deception, this outcome shows that is not the case."

"The law is very clear, and in this case, a fraudster was found to be breaking it and has been prosecuted."

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Chair, Associate Professor Lynette Cusack said anyone who is claiming to be a nurse must be registered with the NMBA.

The NMBA's official position on cosmetic procedures states nurses working in the area are required to comply with standards, codes and guidelines.

"We encourage the public to ask questions about the person from whom they seek care and check the register of practitioners to see if the person delivering the care is listed," Cusack said.

Cosmetic injectables have increased in popularity in recent year and include a number of different procedures including anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, hydra fillers, lip enhancement, chin sculpting and sweat reduction.

From botox to breast implants, Australians spent $1 billion in 2018 according to a recent report by the Australian College of Cosmetic Surgery (ACCS).

The Department of Health's Therapeutic Goods Administrations urged anyone thinking of getting a cosmetic injection to check that both the prescriber and the administrator of cosmetic injections is "appropriately qualified" and experiences.

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