A nurse who offered $3,000 to a patient to mutilate her ex-lover and disfigure him with acid has been banned from practising for just four years and could return to treating patients once that period elapses.
Karenjeet Kaur Warburton, a former nurse in Queensland, Australia, orchestrated a chilling plot to have her ex-partner, senior police inspector Don McKay, horrifically attacked. She instructed a patient, whom she believed “might be up for it”, to carry out the act, handing over cash, photos of McKay, and details of his home between April and October 2021.
According to a ruling published last week by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), Warburton directed the would-be assailant to cut off Insp McKay’s penis and tongue, burn his face with acid, sever his spine with a knife to cause paralysis, or break every bone in his body so that he could “no longer walk or talk”.
Tribunal member Julie Dick described the plot as a “significant and deliberate” attempt to cause grievous harm. Warburton only ceased her efforts when she was arrested.
She later pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to procure grievous bodily harm and one count of attempting to procure a malicious act with intent. She was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, suspended after 16 months.
Despite the severity of her crimes, QCAT ruled that Warburton’s ban from working in healthcare would last only four years, a period that includes time already served behind bars. The tribunal acknowledged that she would have to reapply for registration, face questions of recency of practice, and potentially complete further requirements before returning to the profession.
“It is unfortunate that this serious behaviour has led to the respondent being in the difficult circumstances in which she now finds herself,” Ms Dick wrote.
Warburton did not contest that she had committed professional misconduct by soliciting a patient to carry out the attack.
The patient, Andrew Bown, was also convicted for his role in the plot. In November 2022, he was sentenced by Cairns District Court to three-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for attempting to procure grievous bodily harm, committing arson, and possessing a dangerous item intended for criminal use.
The case has sparked widespread outrage and renewed debate around professional accountability and the fitness to practise of individuals convicted of violent crimes.
