Clive Chappell
Introduction
Clive Chappell is a former care worker from Monifieth in Angus who was struck off the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) register in 2026 after being convicted of sexually assaulting a junior colleague at work. Chappell was convicted at Forfar Sheriff Court in April 2026 of sexual assault and of uttering sexual remarks to a female colleague, referred to in the regulator’s findings as ZZ to protect her identity. The SSSC subsequently found his fitness to practise to be impaired and removed his name from the register.
Background Information
Chappell worked in social care, and the assault on ZZ took place at their workplace on 13 December 2024. ZZ was a junior female colleague. Her identity is protected in the SSSC’s published report of the case, and STV News reported the removal from the register in September 2026 under the headline “Care worker who sexually assaulted junior colleague at work struck off”.
The SSSC regulates the social service workforce in Scotland. Registrants are expected to protect people from harm, to respect their rights, and to behave in ways that maintain public confidence in the profession. Where a registrant is convicted of a criminal offence, the regulator treats the conviction itself as a matter that bears directly on fitness to practise, and it can impose sanctions up to and including removal from the register.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Criminal conviction, followed by regulatory removal. Chappell was convicted at Forfar Sheriff Court in April 2026 of sexual assault and uttering sexual remarks; the SSSC then struck him from the care register.
According to the SSSC’s newly released report, Chappell seized ZZ and restrained her against a wall. He attempted to kiss her on the neck, removed her face covering and kissed her on the mouth. He then turned ZZ around to face the wall, grabbed her breasts and pushed his erect penis against her while muttering sexual comments to her.
The regulator found that Chappell carried out the assault for “his own sexual gratification” and described his behaviour as “abusive and sexually motivated”. It concluded that his conduct was “fundamentally incompatible” with the standards expected of workers in the care sector.
Public Reaction and Consequences
Chappell’s conviction was recorded at Forfar Sheriff Court in April 2026, and the SSSC’s investigation followed. The watchdog found his fitness to practise to be impaired by reason of his criminal conviction for the sexual assault, and identified other concerns: that his behaviour was sexually motivated and that it took place during the course of his work.
In its report, the SSSC stated: “If the behaviour were to be repeated, there would be a significant risk of sexual and emotional harm to vulnerable individuals who use social services and the public.” The watchdog added that Chappell had not shown enough insight or regret into his actions.
Weighing the conviction, the sexual motivation, the workplace setting and his lack of insight, the SSSC concluded that no other course of action was appropriate than to strike Chappell from the care register. The removal was reported on 10 September 2026, after the SSSC published its findings and STV News covered the decision. The regulator’s conclusion that no sanction short of removal was appropriate reflected the combined weight of the conviction, the sexual motivation behind the assault, and the absence of insight or regret.
Current Status
Chappell has been removed from the SSSC register and can no longer work in registered social care roles in Scotland that require registration with the body. The publicly reported record of the case does not state what sentence the criminal court imposed alongside the conviction.
Impact on Their Career/Life
For a care worker, a conviction for sexual assault combined with removal from the professional register is career-ending. Chappell cannot work in any post that requires SSSC registration in Scotland, and the character of the findings — a sexual assault carried out at work, against a junior colleague, for his own sexual gratification — is the kind of regulatory record that any future employer working with vulnerable people would have to take into account.
The regulator’s emphasis on his insufficient insight or regret also weighs on any prospect of return. The SSSC’s assessment that a repetition of the behaviour would carry “a significant risk of sexual and emotional harm to vulnerable individuals” framed the removal not merely as a consequence of the past offence, but as protection for the people the care system exists to serve.