NHS nurse punished for calling transgender paedophile ‘Mr'
An NHS nurse was punished after accidentally addressing a transgender paedophile as 'Mr'.
The paedophile, a patient from a high-security men's prison, called Jennifer Melle, 40, a 'n-----' three times during an aggressive tirade at St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Surrey.
But it was Ms Melle who was investigated and disciplined by the hospital in October 2024, with a final warning and a referral to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Now she is filing a legal claim against the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust for harassment, discrimination and human rights breaches.
Ms Melle said: 'Ever since I have expressed my Christian beliefs under extreme pressure, I have been a marked woman.'
Last year, the patient, known only as Patient X, arrived from a men's prison at Ms Melle's ward to receive treatment for a urinary problem.
During the evening shift, a colleague told Ms Melle, the senior nurse on staff, that the patient wanted to self-discharge and a doctor was called for guidance.
Ms Melle spoke with the doctor on the phone outside the patient's room, during which Ms Melle referred to the patient as 'mister' and 'he'.
She said she was discussing a catheter, for a male person, which needed to be removed, adding: 'This was a real-life medical scenario that required accurate terminology to avoid any doubt between medical professionals.'
Overhearing Ms Melle, the patient who was born a man but identified as a woman, took issue with the male pronoun and title.
The nurse replied that she was 'sorry I cannot refer to you as 'her' or 'she', as it's against my faith and Christian values but I can call you by your name.'
The patient began to verbally abuse the nurse, saying: 'Imagine if I called you n-----? How about I call you n-----? Yes, black n------.'
The patient also lunged at her despite being restrained and threatened to make a complaint, she said.
Ms Melle said: 'It was terrifying. I'd never been called that word before. And I thought I was going to be attacked.'
Last month, Ms Melle received a letter from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, which is assessing her ability to practise.
Its code of conduct states nurses should 'not express your personal beliefs (including political, religious or moral beliefs) in an inappropriate way. Therefore, although [Ms Melle] felt unable to identify Patient X using the preferred pronouns due to her religion... it could be perceived that [Ms Melle's] actions could…be seen as a potential breach of the code'.
Ms Melle has denied there was any breach of the code and said that a white colleague also referred to the patient as a male but suffered no abuse or investigation.
She said: 'My conduct throughout this incident and during my career has been fully compliant with the code.
'I have been put at risk, but I am being treated like a criminal. Sadly, if you put your head above the parapet and speak truthfully on these issues in the NHS, the risk is that you will be knocked down, punished severely and demoted.'
NHS 'captured by transgender ideology'
Christian Legal Centre is supporting Ms Melle's legal claim.
Andrea Williams, the centre's chief executive, said: 'The NHS appears to remain captured by transgender ideology to the point it is prepared to back a convicted paedophile, who was clearly very disturbed and shouting racist comments, over the Christian nurse.
'Jennifer Melle was genuinely doing her best while not wanting to deny her Christian faith and biological reality.
'We would ask Wes Streeting, as health secretary, to investigate what is happening here. He is already involved in the Darlington nurses' case, and has previously said he is 'horrified' by how they are being treated. It's time for government intervention on this matter.'
Eight nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital are suing the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, their employer, for sexual discrimination and sexual harassment after Rose Henderson, a transgender nurse, was allowed to use a female changing room.
A spokesman for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said: 'These matters are still subject to ongoing internal proceedings, so it wouldn't be right for us to comment further.'
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