Married father children's doctor who used 'military grade' encryption software to hide his collection of child porn is jailed for three years!
A senior children’s doctor who distributed child porn because he was ‘tired of his job’ was jailed for three years yesterday.Dr Jonathan Walsh, a married father-of-two, downloaded at least 27 abuse films from the internet during his time off from treating sick children.The paediatric consultant published 24 of these on a secret website where paedophiles swap graphic images with each other.The films featured boys and girls aged two to eight and had a total playing time of 18 hours.All but one were classed as Category A images – meaning they showed the most serious type of abuse.Walsh, 47, was arrested during a police raid on his home in September 2015. Detectives believe he may have downloaded many more child porn films, as they found 300 files had been deleted from his computer.The doctor worked at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple, where his responsibilities included the safeguarding of children.He was sacked after he was charged with 17 offences of making and distributing indecent films of children, Exeter Crown Court heard.None of the offences to which he pleaded guilty to related to patients at the hospital. However, the NHS set up a special hotline for anyone worried they might have been affected by his crimes.Walsh told his solicitor he committed the offences because he was ‘tired’ of working at the hospital and wanted to quit his job.
Jailing him, Judge Geoffrey Mercer told Walsh: ‘You have practised as a paediatrician for a number of years. To state that your sexual interest in children causes real concern in relation to someone in your position is a massive understatement.‘Over a period of at least some months, the precise period is unclear, you were involved in downloading and distributing extreme movies and images portraying sexual abuse of children and you went to considerable lengths to try and conceal what it was you were doing.‘Your career is now, of course, at an end. To quote from you from one of your letters you have written to me, “through my actions I have lost my job, my career and my reputation and caused great harm to the ones I love”.’
Defence barrister Lee Gledhill said his client was full of ‘severe regret’ for what he had done.
‘He is aware that these are real children in the videos and harm he indirectly caused by the re-distribution of these images,’ he said.‘He explains he was tired of his job and wanted to get out of medicine after many years of training and working.‘He practised medicine for some considerable years and had a positive impact on the community he lived in. He and his wife are still together but he had to explain this to his own children.’
After his arrest, Walsh moved from Barnstaple to Lytham St Annes in Lancashire.
The court heard how he was arrested on September 3, 2015 when officers from the child exploitation unit carried a search out at his home address.He was arrested and his computer and a memory stick were seized.No indecent images were found but there was significant evidence that he had been accessing child abuse material as well as file wiping software.Prosecuting, James Davies said: 'A leading forensic expert was called and advised the router to be seized.'He found clear evidence of him downloading indecent images of children and distributing them.'The defendant went to considerable lengths to conceal his online activity.'It was over a period of four months that can be identified but not any further than that.'There were 27 movies that could be retrieved, 26 were catergory A and one category B. 24 had been distributed with a total of 18 hours playing time.Defending, Lee Gledhall said his client was full of 'severe regret' for what he had done.He added: 'He is a man of previous good character who practised medicine for some considerable years and had a positive impact on the community he lived in.'This was his time off. It was during these periods he committed these offences.'He is aware that these are real children in the videos and harm he indirectly caused by the re-distribution of these images.'He explains he was tired of his job and wanted to get out of medicine after many years of training and working.'He was a consultant paediatrician. He was instantly sacked at the point of charge and suspended by the GMC.'It has had a significant impact on his financial situation. He has had to sell the family home and they have moved a considerable distance over the publicity and fall-out.'He and his wife are still together but he had to explain this to his own children.'
George Thomson, medical director for Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, said: 'This case has deeply shaken everybody at NDHT and we know it has been a shock to the community.
'We have worked closely with the police throughout this case and we know that none of these crimes relate [to] patients at North Devon District Hospital.'At the launch of the police investigation we took immediate action to exclude Dr Walsh from working at the Trust and informed the General Medical Council. 'Dr Walsh was dismissed with immediate effect when he was charged in June.'
Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Andrea Kingdon said: ‘Walsh was a practising and respected paediatrician in North Devon when he was committing these crimes. He let himself and his profession down by his activities which he went to great lengths to hide.‘The nature of the offending on the images and videos distributed by Dr Walsh are at the most serious end of the scale, and some of these include movies some hours in length. This is an incredibly upsetting and challenging task for my team to work through.’ An NSPCC spokesman said it was clear that Walsh’s only concern was ‘his own twisted gratification’. He added: ‘Behind every image of online child abuse is a child who has suffered a horrific ordeal in the real world.’
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