A student surveyor has been kicked out of RICS after spending nine months in prison.
Alan Chapman failed to disclose his cell phone passcode to police when he was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and possession of a controlled substance. 
Chapman, from Guernsey, was an apprentice surveyor but was expelled from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors after he told himself he was in prison.
thrown out
The RICS tribunal gave Mr Chapman credit for bringing his conviction to their attention, but decided he must nevertheless be expelled.
“The member has pled guilty to the offenses in question, the seriousness of which is evidenced by the fact that a custodial sentence has been handed down,” tribunal member Glen Matheson said.
“While we acknowledge that, for whatever reason, drug-related matters were ultimately not pursued, we cannot point out that the member's refusal to disclose was nevertheless part of a legitimate investigation into serious criminal offences. It’s important.”
something to hide
And, as the judge noted, “failure to disclose indicates that the members have 'something to hide' and therefore exhibits a degree of deceitfulness.”
Mr Matheson said it was important to maintain the reputation of the surveying profession and it was in the “public interest” to take disciplinary action against Mr Chapman.
He ordered Chapman to pay RICS costs of £650.
Read the full judgment here
Investigator expelled from RICS for 'fraud and lack of integrity'
