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| Optometrist Honey Rose guilty over Vincent Barker death | Optometrist Honey Rose guilty over Vincent Barker death |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| An optometrist who failed to spot an eye condition in a boy who later died has been found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter. | An optometrist who failed to spot an eye condition in a boy who later died has been found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter. |
| Vincent Barker, eight, known as Vinnie, died in July 2012 after fluid built up in his brain. | Vincent Barker, eight, known as Vinnie, died in July 2012 after fluid built up in his brain. |
| Honey Rose, 35, from Newham, East London, performed a routine eye test on the child five months earlier. She said she had "done her best" for him. | Honey Rose, 35, from Newham, East London, performed a routine eye test on the child five months earlier. She said she had "done her best" for him. |
| But jurors at Ipswich Crown Court found her guilty after a 10-day trial. | But jurors at Ipswich Crown Court found her guilty after a 10-day trial. |
| Rose told the court she conducted all the required tests during Vinnie's eye examination at the Ipswich branch of Boots on 15 February 2012. | Rose told the court she conducted all the required tests during Vinnie's eye examination at the Ipswich branch of Boots on 15 February 2012. |
| But the prosecution claimed her conduct had been so far below the expected standard it was "criminal". | But the prosecution claimed her conduct had been so far below the expected standard it was "criminal". |
| Read this and more stories from Suffolk | |
| The case centred around Rose's failure to detect swollen optic discs while working as a locum at the Boots store and her failure to refer Vinnie for further investigation. | |
| A build-up of fluid in his brain increased pressure in Vinnie's skull and ultimately led to his death, but Ms Rose said the examination was tricky because he had closed his eyes to the light and looked away during the test. | A build-up of fluid in his brain increased pressure in Vinnie's skull and ultimately led to his death, but Ms Rose said the examination was tricky because he had closed his eyes to the light and looked away during the test. |
| Jurors took just over two hours with their deliberations to find Rose guilty. | |
| Vinnie Barker's family said in a statement: "The outcome of this case does not change our life sentence; we will never be able to fully accept that our special little boy is never coming home. | |
| "The decision of a jury or judge cannot bring Vinnie back or undo the devastation of his death. | |
| "A guilty verdict would never make us winners, our loss is simply too great." | |
| Det Supt Tonya Antonis from Suffolk Police said: "If this case makes the optometry profession reflect on their practices and review their policies to prevent it happening to anyone again, or encourages other parents to take their children to get their eyes tested with the knowledge that any serious issues would be picked up, then it will be worthwhile." | |
| The Association of Optometrists said the case was the first of its kind in the UK. | |
| Rose will be sentenced at a later date. |