Pharmacy Technician Removed from Register Following Conviction for Online Sexual Communication with a Minor

Allegations

This case involved a pharmacy technician convicted of a serious criminal offence—attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, a violation of section 15A(1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The registrant was engaged in online conversations with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. These communications were sexually explicit and included sending an image purporting to be of himself, requests for images from the “child”, and discussions of intimate acts he wished to perform.

Significantly, the registrant conducted these communications via mobile phone, during working hours at his pharmacy. The conversations occurred on a platform that clearly identified users as between 13 and 19 years old. The “child” was, in fact, an undercover police officer who had created a profile stating clearly that she was 13. Despite being told this, the registrant continued the interaction, suggesting knowledge and acceptance of the child’s purported age.