A nurse knocked back beer and whisky in a pub before following women and masturbating at them.

Ion Urse faced a disciplinary hearing at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) following the incident in Gillingham town centre last year and has now been struck off.

He admitted charges of indecent exposure in court and has now been told he will never practise again.

The panel sat at the council's headquarters in London and was told Urse - who had not attended the hearing - was employed at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust when he committed the offences.

Urse went out in Gillingham on July 30 last year and visited three pubs.

He downed seven pints of beer and a whisky and coke during a six-hour drinking binge.

The former nurse, who qualified and registered with the NMC in 2010, was seen at 11pm on CCTV following two women along Jeffery Street "rubbing his genital area".

"The panel considered Mr Urse could be regarded as a risk to patients because of his offences..." – NMC panel

He lifted his shirt "exposing his penis" to the victims which was "hanging out of his trousers" before dropping his top and making "no attempt" to put his appendage back in his trousers.

The panel heard Urse was masturbating while looking at one of the women - who was on the phone - who walked away but was followed by him.

Despite initially stopping he continued to pleasure himself while "making eye contact", a report revealed.

After the first incident, Urse was seen by another women who was in her car waiting at traffic lights.

Urse, who was on the other side of the road, was said to be "smiling strangely" at her before she noticed he was holding his genitals and performing a sex act.

As she drove away, the woman shouted: "You're a pervert." But Urse laughed and walked away.

Police were called and within 15 minutes he was arrested. Both women later told officers they were "distressed" by the incidents.

Urse admitted the charges and was sentenced to a 42-day prison term suspended for two years on October 2, 2018. He was also ordered to pay £200 compensation and put on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.

The NMC panel concluded Urse's actions had "brought the profession into disrepute and breached fundamental tenets".

In their findings, they said: "The panel considered Mr Urse could be regarded as a risk to patients because of his offences.

"While the panel acknowledged Mr Urse's apparent insight 'and taken steps to address the underlying causes', it was not satisfied this was sufficient to undermine the necessity for a finding of impairment [in his fitness to practise as a registered nurse].

"Given the seriousness of the case the panel found the trust of the public and patients would be harmed if a finding of impairment were not made."

The panel excluded taking no action, putting conditions on Urse continuing to practise or imposing a suspension order.

They said the public would have been "shocked and dismayed" a nurse had exposed his manhood causing harm and distress and that a striking off order was "the appropriate sanction".

Urse has 18 months to appeal the decision but ahead of the hearing - on August 27 - signed an agreement admitting the allegations.

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