GOC erases Yorkshire based student optometrist

The General Optical Council (GOC), the UK regulator for optometrists and dispensing opticians, has decided to erase Talha Daji, a student optometrist based in West Yorkshire, from its register. He will now be unable to undertake training as a student optometrist in the UK.

A GOC Fitness to Practise Committee found his fitness to train impaired by reason of his conviction of assault by beating.

In making the decision, the Committee, chaired by James Kellock said:

"The student registrant's conviction for a criminal assault aggravated by homophobic words is a serious matter, which could seriously damage the reputation of the profession, and call into question the trust and confidence in which the profession is rightly held by the reasonable member of the public.

"He did not address any expression of remorse and understanding directly to the Committee, nor did he offer an undertaking, or any practical steps in support of such an undertaking, that would persuade the Committee that there is no likelihood of any repetition.

"In the Committee’s view, taking into account the absence of insight and remorse, the student registrant’s conduct which gave rise to his conviction is fundamentally incompatible with being a professional person regulated under the Act."

Mr Daji has until 22 August 2019 to appeal his erasure.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. The full determination is available on our past hearings page
2. A full transcript of the hearing is available on request and payment of an administration charge.
3. Read our guide to the FTP process
4. The registrant’s date of most recent registration with the GOC as a student optometrist was 24 April 2017. His GOC registration number is SO-11625. His last registered contact address was in West Yorkshire, England.

For media enquiries please contact:

GOC Communications Team, General Optical Council

t: 020 7580 3898 (option 3)

e: communications@optical.org

About the General Optical Council

The GOC is the regulator for the optical professions in the UK. Its purpose is to protect the public by promoting high standards of education, performance and conduct amongst opticians. The Council currently registers around 30,000 optometrists, dispensing opticians, student opticians and optical businesses.