11 Mar 2022
Caernarfon-based vet Anke Hill has been removed from the register after being sentenced to 19 years in prison for taking a “key part” in the kidnapping of a child at knifepoint.
Vet Times
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A vet has been struck off after she was handed a 19-year prison sentence for conspiracy to kidnap.
The RCVS disciplinary committee has directed that Anke Hill be removed from the register after she was convicted at Mold Crown Court in December 2020 – and sentenced at Caernarfon Crown Court in September 2021 – for conspiracy to kidnap.
The hearing for Hill took place on 7 March 2022. Hill did not attend as she was serving her prison sentence at the time of the hearing, and she was not represented.
Hill was convicted for conspiracy to kidnap, the hearing heard, and received an extended sentence of 19 years and 5 months, a restraining order for an indefinite period and a £190 victim surcharge.
Nicole Curtis represented the RCVS throughout the hearing, acknowledged the absence of Hill and invited the proceedings to begin in her absence. She outlined that Hill knew of the proceedings, but had made it clear in correspondence that she did not wish to participate.
In relation to the charges, the committee was presented with the sentencing remarks from Hill’s conviction at Mold Crown Court. The judge outlined that Hill had played a key part in a conspiracy to kidnap.
The conspiracy involved the abduction of a child at knifepoint and the involvement of a number of other individuals in an attempt to secure an unhindered passage out of the country.
Due to the prompt action of police, Hill was arrested some four hours after the abduction and while still in the UK. The victim of the kidnap was freed at the same time.
In sentencing Hill, the judge noted the offence had been committed while she was on bail for a previous conspiracy to kidnap.
The judge outlined the kidnap had caused the victim, and the people responsible for their care, “unspeakable misery and considerable harm”.
The judge also outlined how Hill, with one other person, was the leader of the conspiracy and that Hill posed a significant risk of causing serious harm in the future.
Hazel Bentall, chairing the committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The committee took into account a number of aggravating features when considering the sanctions. In particular, the committee considered that the conviction arose as a result of careful planning over several months and involved the use of violence.
“The committee concluded that there were no mitigating factors apart from that Hill had no previous regulatory history, and that the only appropriate and proportionate sanction was that Hill’s removal from the register of veterinary surgeons be maintained.”
Hill has 28 days from being notified of her removal from the register to lodge an appeal with the Privy Council.
The committee’s full findings can be viewed at www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
