A WA woman found guilty of stabbing her former husband at a Perth playground in front of shocked onlookers has been banned from working as a nurse for two years. Michelle Fernandez has maintained she acted in self-defence when she stabbed Mark Fernandez with a 20cm kitchen knife as he carried their seven-year-old daughter at the Shelley foreshore in October 2015. Mr Fernandez’s injuries were so severe that a witness described watching his “guts fall out” like a “bag of sausages”. He needed more than 240 stitches to his chest, abdomen and other body parts before spending four months in a wheelchair recovering. Ms Fernandez could walk free from prison on parole in July 2020 despite having her conviction appeals thrown out. This week, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia disqualified Ms Fernandez from working as a nurse for two years from February 8, 2019. In a statement published on Friday, the State Administrative Tribunal found the 44-year-old “behaved in a way that constitutes professional misconduct by reason of her conviction”. “The Tribunal is satisfied that proper cause exists for disciplinary action against the respondent,” the decision read. “The conduct leading to conviction was not committed in the course of nursing practice, was not connected to her practice as a nurse, and did not involve injury to any patient.” Ms Fernandez was also ordered to pay $5000 towards NMBA’s tribunal costs.
