A thieving nurse stole an £8,000 Rolex watch from an unsuspecting elderly patient as he lay in a hospital bed at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Sarah Grassick – also known as Sade-Sarah Grassick – preyed on Douglas Fowler, then 79, after the vulnerable pensioner suffered a nasty fall at his home in Ballater last November.
Mr Fowler, who sentimentally never took off his treasured watch of almost 60 years, unexpectedly found himself in the emergency department and was later admitted.
After Grassick’s “despicable breach of trust” during Mr Fowler’s care, the 26-year-old remained tight-lipped while her colleagues frantically searched for the missing jewelry.
Then she waited several months before taking the valuable item to a pawnbroker in the city, however, a database check soon revealed it was stolen property.
The discovery eventually landed Grassick in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where she pled guilty to stealing, was fined £1,000 and told to pay a victim surcharge of £40.
But, Mr Fowler never lived to see her brought to justice, despite being reunited with the Rolex Precision OysterDate before passing away at the age of 80 on March 6 this year.
Speaking about her father’s ordeal, Mr Fowler’s daughter recalled the moment she discovered that he had become a victim of crime.
‘I felt sick to the pit of my stomach … My dad was in a panic’
“I felt sick to the pit of my stomach,” Dr Gillian Fowler, who has PhD in behavioural psychology, told The Press and Journal.
“My dad lost vocal ability due to his illness. He couldn’t just speak. As I walked into his room, I noticed he was distressed and tapping his wrist to let me know it had vanished.
“My dad was in a panic. He loved his watch that he’d had for nearly 60 years. It was sentimental to him and a comfort.
“All through his life he would always wear it and never wanted to take it off.”
Dr Fowler said when she first reported the theft in Room Four of Ward 105 to staff, she “felt it wasn’t taken very seriously” and the response was initially “quite dismissive”.
However, she added: “There were a couple more senior nurses, who said it was a serious matter. The doctors were brilliant in trying to get help. They were supportive.
“Senior management has been taking it very seriously.”
Dr Fowler’s father died at home with her by his side after being in and out of hospital, with a deterioration in his health from mid-February.
Mr Fowler began his working life in the merchant navy – buying his Rolex while abroad in 1966 – and spending his entire career with the oil giant BP from teenager to retirement.
The major breakthrough to reunite him with his beloved watch was only made possible due to Dr Fowler’s determined efforts to track it down.
First, she launched an appeal across social media to raise awareness of the theft and secondly, she logged the serial numbers on The Watch Register, a leading global database of lost and stolen watches.
‘Getting justice for dad was too important to drop’
“It was suggested that I go and register it there because a reputable dealer would always check it to make sure a watch brought to them wasn’t stolen property,” Dr Fowler explained.
After the pawnbroker contacted her with news about her dad’s watch, police took action against Grassick and the Rolex was returned to Mr Fowler.
“I showed him the watch a few days before he passed away and put it back on his wrist,” his daughter told The P&J, adding: “It was a very emotional moment.
“Getting the watch back meant very much to dad. It was calming. He’d gone through months of turmoil due to the theft and incidents in that ward. Getting justice for dad was too important to drop.
“I am devastated that my dad’s not here. I believe he’d be very proud knowing I continued this for him and there’s been justice – that someone’s not got away with a despicable breach of trust.”
A fitness to practise panel of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which regulates nurses, has slapped Grassick, of Saucel Crescent, Paisley, Renfrewshire, with an interim suspension order for 18 months.
It means the convicted criminal, who stole from Mr Fowler during her night shift some time between December 1 and 2 last year, cannot work as a nurse anywhere during that time.
According to the NMC, interim orders protect the public from risk by, in this case, suspending a nurse while investigators probe concerns about them.
Interim orders are imposed before a panel makes any conclusions about the concerns raised.
The measure is used when the concerns about a nurse are so serious that patient safety would be put at risk, or there would be serious damage to public confidence in the nursing profession if they were allowed to practise without any restrictions.
Grassick’s ban will remain in place while the NMC investigates allegations concerning Grassick’s fitness to practise or pending an appeal.
‘Her despicable actions have put the nursing profession into disrepute’
During a preliminary hearing last week, Grassick was told “a panel will review the interim suspension order at a review meeting within the next six months and every six months thereafter.
“The NMC Case Examiners are yet to decide whether there is a case to answer in relation to the allegations made against you.
“The NMC will write to you when the case is ready for the next stage of the fitness to practise process.”
Dr Fowler has been closely following proceedings against Grassick, who studied at Robert Gordon University between 2017 and 2022 and became registered as a nurse on January 30 two years ago.
Dr Fowler said: “Her actions have put the nursing profession into disrepute.
“It is despicable for somebody to be in that position of trust and care, looking after someone so vulnerable, but being an opportunistic thief.
“It wasn’t just a theft. It left an indelible mark, one that impacted my dad in many ways during his last few months.
“It made further hospital stays traumatic and added a black cloud over my dad’s last chapter.”
‘We take matters of this nature seriously’
A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said: “While we do not comment on individual staff members, we would like to reassure people we take matters of this nature seriously and are taking all necessary steps to comply with the findings of the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
“Speaking generally, while we do our utmost to manage safety and security, our hospitals are large public buildings.
“We would encourage anyone coming into hospital to leave any valuable or treasured items at home whenever possible.”
Responding to the health board official’s comments, Dr Fowler said: “My dad was rushed into hospital after his fall and at no time did we believe we should insist on the removal of the watch as dad was not requiring surgery.
“The watch would stay on his wrist and give him much-needed comfort. No patient should fear what will happen when in hospital.
“I very much hope the conviction of this nurse will help other families fight for their loved ones, to seek answers and justice, and help to stamp out such behaviour, particularly of those that target the vulnerable.”
An earlier version of this article stated that Grassick stole the Rolex from the wrist of Douglas Fowler. Grassick strongly denies this, claiming she found the watch near the patient’s room, with the charge to which she pled guilty stating Grassick stole it “at Room 4, Ward 105, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary”. We are happy to make this clarification.
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