A FORMER leading dental teacher in Lancashire has been given an official reprimand after he sent a student a copy of exam papers at least five days early.

Yasar Mansour was a senior clinical teacher in the University of Central Lancashire's School of Medicine and Dentistry, when he e-mailed two papers, including an objective structural clinical examination, to the unnamed student.

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The e-mail was sent on April 25 last year and the student was due to sit the first test on April 30 and the clinical exam on May 2.

Once the tutor's action had been discovered, shortly afterwards, an inquiry was launched by university chiefs and he resigned from his post at the school, which has offices in Preston, Blackburn and Burnley, in June 2013.

Now Mansour, who is said to have been in the profession for 20 years and worked at the university for more than a decade, has appeared before the General Dental Council.

He admitted four misconduct charges, in relation to the affair, and was given an official reprimand by the GDC after a hearing before the professional misconduct committee in London.

Mansour, of Bramble Court, Penwortham, told the committee that his intention had been to assist the unnamed student, who he believed was struggling 'academically and emotionally' at the time.

He accepted that what he had done was 'inexcusable' and he had apologised to the student for his behaviour. Mansour had voluntarily resigned from the university.

The committee heard that it was now unlikely that Mansour, who qualified in Jordan in 1992, would ever be considered for any teaching position in future and how his reputation had suffered among students and colleagues.

A GDC spokesman said: "Whilst the committee considered that your dishonest behaviour, as highlighted in this case, was totally inappropriate, it has taken into account your previously unblemished career."

He also said that the case had not raised any clinical issues with the performance of Mansour - who had been assisted by a number of testimonials regarding his abilities. He is now understood to be working at a practice in Garstang.