Sex offender nurse who assaulted colleague as PATIENTS watched is struck off

Published 29 October 2026, 14:47

• The victim of Sussex nurse Cedris Edmon Monteagudo told police of several instances of unwanted sexual behaviour, including Facebook messages after work.
• University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust sacked Monteagudo for gross misconduct over alleged unwanted sexual advances towards colleagues.
• The Nursing and Midwifery Council panel found no mitigating factors after Monteagudo failed to attend and showed no evidence of remorse.

A nurse who sexually assaulted a junior colleague — at least once in front of a vulnerable patient — has been struck off the nursing register, with the Nursing and Midwifery Council panel ruling the decision was necessary "to send to the public and the profession a clear message about the standard of behaviour required of a registered nurse."

Cedris Edmon Monteagudo, a registered adult nurse who worked in Sussex, was found guilty on 16 July 2025 at Worthing Magistrates' Court of one count of sexual assault committed on 25 August 2023, contrary to Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

He was placed on the sex offenders register and received a community order.

The victim, referred to throughout the proceedings as Person A, was a healthcare assistant — a more junior grade than Monteagudo, who was a Band 5 nurse.

The NMC panel listed the power imbalance between them as an aggravating factor, noting that "Person A was a Healthcare Assistant and Mr Monteagudo was a Band 5 Nurse."

Person A's police witness statement, dated 2 September 2023, described a pattern of behaviour that went beyond the single conviction.

She told police there were "several instances of unwanted sexual behaviour towards her, including when she worked as a bank nurse, and Facebook messages after work," according to the NMC ruling.

The panel determined that a vulnerable patient was present during at least one of the incidents, which "could have caused the patient distress," and that his conduct "may have impacted on Person A's standard of care," placing patients at indirect risk.

The NMC became aware of the case after University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust submitted a referral on 26 January 2024, informing the regulator that Monteagudo's employment had been terminated on 17 January 2024 on grounds of gross misconduct, "alleged to have been related to him making inappropriate and unwanted sexual advances towards colleagues."

Monteagudo did not attend the October 2026 hearing and provided no engagement with the NMC process.

The panel said it had "no evidence from Mr Monteagudo of insight, reflection, remorse or steps taken to strengthen his practice," and that without such evidence it "could not conclude that the conduct is unlikely to be repeated."

The panel drew up a comprehensive list of aggravating factors: abuse of a position of trust; conduct recklessly putting people receiving care at risk; a pattern of behaviour sustained over time that led to a conviction; no evidence of insight; the power imbalance between Monteagudo and his victim; premeditated and predatory behaviour; and sexual harassment and assault of a colleague.

It concluded that "there are no mitigating factors in this case."

The panel rejected lesser sanctions, finding that "there are no relevant, proportionate, workable or measurable conditions that could be formulated to protect patients and to uphold professional standards."

It added that "there is no realistic possibility that he would address the concerns to such a level where he could return to practise safely."

The panel concluded that "there is no amount of insight or remediation that Mr Monteagudo could undertake that would preserve public safety, maintain public confidence in the profession or uphold professional standards," and that his conduct was "fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the NMC register."

An interim suspension order of 18 months was imposed to protect the public during the 28-day appeal window.