Even a minor criminal conviction could have serious consequences for anyone hoping to register as a doctor, a Judge told Loughrea District Court this week.
Judge James Faughnan was dealing with the case of a young man from Qatar who is studying at the Royal College of Surgeons and who was found to be driving without insurance and also without a valid licence.
The defence pleaded that the student had a Qatari driving licence and insurance and he thought this would cover him in Ireland, but now realised that this was not the case. He was studying a three-year course as part of his medical training to become a doctor.
Judge Faughnan noted that a conviction wouldn’t help in this regard. He put the case back “to see how he gets on in his exams” and then he would review matters, he said.
“Even the smallest criminal conviction for someone applying to become a doctor can be very serious,” he added.
