Optometrist Honey Rose Sentenced Over Death Of Vincent Barker

An optometrist who failed to spot a fatal brain condition during a child's eye test has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence.

Honey Rose, 35, failed to notice that Vincent Barker had swollen optic discs when she examined him during a routine eye test at a Boots branch in Ipswich.

The eight-year-old died around five months later in July 2012.

His mother, Joanne Barker, said the family had struggled to accept Vincent's death and the impact on his siblings had been "immeasurable".

"The knowledge our loss should have been prevented and Vinnie should have been saved is intolerable to live with," she said.

Rose, of East Ham, East London, was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter at Ipswich Crown Court.

Her 10-day trial heard "any competent optometrist" would have spotted the fatal condition - a symptom of fluid on the brain - and that the youngster's death could have been prevented if she had "done her job properly".

Ian Stern QC, defending Rose, said: "For whatever reason, she did not look to the back of the eye. She had no foreseeability as to the consequences."

He added that the landmark case had "sent shock waves round the optometric practice".

Judge Stuart-Smith described Rose's conviction as "apparently the first case where an optometrist has been convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence".

He told the mother of three: "You simply departed from your normal practice in a way that was completely untypical for you, a one-off, for no good reason."

He added an immediate custodial sentence was not necessary to bring home the importance of optometrists properly discharging their duty to patients, due to the highly publicised case.

Rose, who has not worked since March 2013, was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and given a 24-month supervision order.

Detective Superintendent Tonya Antonis, of Suffolk Police, said the sentence was "proportionate in the circumstances".

"It was never the Barker family's intention that Honey Rose should go to prison," she said.

"What they wanted was some accountability by the profession and to ensure this doesn't happen to anybody else."

Ben Fletcher, managing director of Boots Opticians, said: "We reiterate our deepest condolences to Vincent Barker's family.

"Our thoughts throughout this difficult period have remained with the family following these tragic events."