Peterborough nurse made offensive comments about murdered schoolgirls and said Paralympians should be culled

Ravi Dass replied “that is why the flowers are growing so well in the area” when asked by a colleague whether a garden centre was close to “where the two little girls were murdered”.

He also made derogatory comments about Paralympians saying they should be “culled” and disabled people taking part should be “locked up”.

Following an investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Dass admitted making the comments while working at the Peterborough and Stamford Trust within the Department of Sexual Health between July 2012 and July 2014.

Dass, who now works for Barts Health NHS Trust as lead nurse for a sexual health team, said in a statement: “I realise that I have caused offense and distress to my colleagues, for which I am extremely sorry and offer my most sincere apology.”

“I deeply regret making the offensive comments about breastfeeding, the murdered girls of Soham, infidelity etc all of which were insensitive and I realised how upsetting and hurtful it would have been to my colleagues.

“I have caused an immense amount of stress to my colleagues for which I am deeply sorry for, especially knowing that my colleagues are probably still affected by my offensive comments.”

The panel heard how Mr Dass, who was responsible for managing the department, including nurses, healthcare assistants and clerical staff, also told his pregnant colleague “most men have affairs when their other halves are heavily pregnant” and asked her husband if he was planning on “breastfeeding” from her.

He also admitted to making a number of explicit sexual comments to four colleagues on different occasions as well as making staff feel intimidated and threatened by sending “forceful” emails to staff threatening disciplinary action if they failed to comply with his requests.

Barts Health NHS Trust said Mr Dass’ interactions with the team “are always professional, polite and appropriate to his role as a senior registered nurse”.

The panel gave Mr Dass a five year caution after he “demonstrated sufficient insight into his misconduct and past behaviour”.

Murdered Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman disappeared from their home in Soham, Cambs, on August 2002.

Their dumped bodies were found near RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, two weeks later.

Ian Huntley, a caretaker at Soham Village College, was convicted on 17 December 2003 of the girls’ murder and sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment, with the High Court later setting a minimum term of 40 years.

His girlfriend, Maxine Ann Carr, was the girls’ teaching assistant at St Andrew’s Primary School. Carr had provided Huntley with a false alibi and received a three-and-a-half year prison sentence for perverting the course of justice.