Nurse who used AI to create indecent images of children struck off

A mental health nurse who was convicted of using artificial intelligence to create indecent images of children has been struck off the nursing register.

George Nish, who worked as a charge nurse at Ailsa Hospital in Ayr, was convicted in November 2025 of offences relating to the creation and possession of indecent images of children.

He was initially charged in October 2024, and in April the following year wrote to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to announce his retirement, and to voluntarily remove himself from the nursing register.

At a hearing on 2 October an NMC panel ordered Nish to be struck off, meaning he will be barred from working as a registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate.

It also imposed an interim suspension order to cover the period before the strike-off can take effect.

In its written determination, the committee said: “The panel was of the view that Mr Nish’s actions were significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse and are fundamentally incompatible with him remaining on the register.

“The panel determined that the findings in this particular case demonstrate that Mr Nish’s actions were serious and to allow him to continue practising would undermine public confidence in the profession and in the NMC as a regulatory body.”

It added: “The panel took into account that Mr Nish’s offences involved sexual offences concerning children and went beyond the possession of sexual images to downloading and taking clones of children and running them through AI to create naked images of them.

“The panel considered that this conduct was a fundamental breach of the tenets of the nursing profession and was capable of seriously undermining public confidence.”

It concluded that “nothing short of a striking-off order” would be sufficient to maintain public confidence in the nursing profession, and to send a “clear message” about the standards of behaviour expected of a registered nurse.

The committee also said it was in the interests of public protection to take action against Nish.

The panel noted that if Nish remained a registered nurse he could potentially come into contact with children and other vulnerable people, and that it “could not be satisfied” he would not pose a risk to them.

It also said the “repeated” nature of Nish’s offending was “particularly significant in assessing the likelihood of future harm”.

In a letter to the committee dated 24 September 2026, Nish’s representatives at the Royal College of Nursing made clear he does not intend to return to the profession.

“Mr Nish … acknowledges the charges and accepts the seriousness of his conduct,” the letter read.

“He has demonstrated insight into the concerns and has expressed genuine remorse.

“His engagement with the relevant support and remediation demonstrates that he has taken positive steps to address the matters arising from his conviction.”