Professionals Convicted Of Child Pornography Offences Thread (Doctors, Teachers, etc)

Gwent Police officer jailed over child images

Friday, 30 April 2010

A Gwent Police officer who was part of a British paedophile ring which swapped images of child abuse has been jailed for a year at Newport Crown Court.

Det Con Michael Thomas, a 40-year-old married father-of-two, was convicted of distributing, making and possessing indecent images earlier this month.

Thomas, of Port Talbot, was one of six men arrested after an international operation involving the FBI.

He was ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

Thomas, who was suspended by Gwent Police following his arrest, was also disqualified from working with vulnerable children.

The police force said internal misconduct procedures will now commence with regards to Thomas' position.

The court heard that since his conviction Thomas has been kept in isolation in prison because he fears other inmates.

Chris Rees, defending, said: "His life is effectively in ashes. He is being held in the punishment block of Cardiff prison not for punishment but to protect him from other prisoners.

"He is segregated entirely from the entire population at Cardiff prison. His future is bleak."

Judge David Morris told Thomas: "Without persons prepared to receive these images, there wouldn't be a market for the abuse of children to produce images of this kind.

"You have contributed indirectly to the foul trade which exists in the dissemination of child pornography."

After the sentencing the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) revealed further details of Operation Tahoe which led to Thomas' conviction and sentencing.

Raided

The case stemmed from an FBI operation surrounding the distribution of indecent images of children in the United States, said the commission.

A distributer was identified in the West Midlands and after a house was raided West Midlands Police identified another user of the website in the Gwent Police force area.

The investigation was taken over by the IPCC when it was discovered that Thomas was involved.

Tom Davies, IPCC Commissioner for Wales said: "This was a groundbreaking case that convicted a man despite there being little evidence on his computer after Thomas forensically deleted 28,000 files from the laptop he used.

"I hope that this case will prove a deterrent to those exchanging these vile images of children.

"They should be warned that this case sets a precedent in the future for any court in Britain hearing cases where there is an absence of evidence of possession of indecent images."

'Reassure communities'

Gwent Police said it had launched "a full and thorough investigation" in November 2007 which involved liaison with West Midlands Police, the FBI and Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).

In a statement it said: "Police officers, like all others, must face the consequences of their actions.

"It is our priority to protect and reassure communities in Gwent and we will take action against anyone involved in criminal activity, regardless of their position or status.

"Internal misconduct procedures will now commence with regards to Michael Thomas' position within Gwent Police."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/8655260.stm

How come it"s taken so long to go to Trial.......almost 4 years?

Panda wrote:How come it"s taken so long to go to Trial.......almost 4 years?

****************************************

Very interesting to know the answer to that.

Schnuffel wrote:

Schnuffel wrote:

Panda wrote:How come it"s taken so long to go to Trial.......almost 4 years?

He's been on bail since February 2007.

http://news.scotsman.com/aberdeen/Doctor-in-court-on-child.3344154.jp

Seems the wheels of Justice grind very slowly in Scotland

No, just Aberdeen. You know, the Fiscal's office that's also "dealing" with the Hollie Greig case.

The hospital concerned has done the decent thing and suspended him from work while waiting judgement

Thanks for the link Schnuffel
http://news.scotsman.com/aberdeen/Doctor-in-court-on-child.3344154.jp

This paedophile turned up with his OWN son hoping to have sex with a 14yr old boy!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjtdhoUkCOI

It just goes to show you the doctors you think you can trust can do things like that it is shocking

Eve wrote:

It just goes to show you the doctors you think you can trust can do things like that it is shocking

Sadly the perverted deviants hiding behind their white coats and stethoscopes taint the majority of real professional medics giving high quality service to the community. Some do however slip through the net of the GMC and continue to practice although there could be an element of doubt as to their fitness for purpose.

malena stool wrote:

Eve wrote:

It just goes to show you the doctors you think you can trust can do things like that it is shocking

Sadly the perverted deviants hiding behind their white coats and stethoscopes taint the majority of real professional medics giving high quality service to the community. Some do however slip through the net of the GMC and continue to practice although there could be an element of doubt as to their fitness for purpose.

Without giving details, and I have said this before, my wife worked for a doctor convicted of abusing and drugging male patients of younger ages. She only learned of this after she left the surgery and saw his name in a news report from the high court on the news.
So as has been said, some escape at first, but almost inevitably, justice catches up.

kitti wrote:This paedophile turned up with his OWN son hoping to have sex with a 14yr old boy!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjtdhoUkCOI

That video is totally shocking. How can anyone do that with any child not even their own???? I hope they locked him up and castrated him.

fred wrote:

kitti wrote:This paedophile turned up with his OWN son hoping to have sex with a 14yr old boy!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjtdhoUkCOI

That video is totally shocking. How can anyone do that with any child not even their own???? I hope they locked him up and castrated him.

fred, he should be released into general circulation in prison, normal criminals apparently have their own form of justice for paedos.

Child porn accused doctor shared disks with hospital staff

Douglas Harris, 29, said he borrowed disks from halls of residence flatmates

09 June 2010



A doctor accused of downloading child pornography claimed he shared his disks with other hospital staff.

Douglas Harris, 29, said he borrowed a floppy disk from halls of residence roommates to fill out an application form while working at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

And he claimed others were taken back to his flat in Aberdeen when he started a new job at the city's royal infirmary in 2004.

The doctor is on trial accused of being in possession of 371 indecent images of children at his Laburnum Walk flat on December 12, 2006.

Police told the court a number of images were discovered on floppy disks seized along with other computer equipment from his spare room.

Giving evidence in his defence, the surgeon told the court that he started working on a year contract at the Inverness hospital in 2003.

Harris, who is originally from Fort William told Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Wednesday that it was common for him and his two flat mates in Inverness to share floppy disks and that when he left the flat to start his new job in Aberdeen he just “took what was there”.

The court heard one indecent image found on a floppy disk was created on August 11, 2004 shortly after 4pm.

IN DETAIL

* Child porn accused doctor used 'file washer' software
* Girlfriend of child porn accused doctor: 'I know in my heart it wasn't him'
* Most porn pictures found on doctor's PC were of under 16s
* Sites 'commonly downloaded by paedophiles' found on doctor's PC
* Hospital worker goes on trial over child porn charges

However, the doctor denied being responsible.

Harris is alleged to have been in possession of the indecent pictures at his flat on December 12, 2006.

He is further accused of making or permitting 243 pornographic pictures of youngsters to be taken between 2004 and 2006.

But he blames his girlfriend, Maria Carle, who he lived with at the address.

The trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court continues.

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/north/181872-child-porn-accused-doctor-shared-disks-with-hospital-staff

Software could have covered child porn accused doctor's tracks

11 June 2010 1

Douglas Harris, 29, deleted 16,000 files by using a window washer programme on his computer.

Software used on a doctor's computer could have been used to cover his tracks if he was downloading child pornography, a court has heard.

Douglas Harris, 29, deleted 16,000 files by using a window washer programme on his home computer in Aberdeen.

But a forensic expert said he managed to recover 371 files which related to the investigation when asked to look into allegations of illegal indecent images of children.

Harris is said to have used the software to scramble data info and change the times and dates that files were created.

However, the hospital surgeon claims he bought the programme to protect sensitive data such as passwords on his computer.

He is on trial accused of being in possession of 371 indecent images of children at his flat on December 12, 2006.

On Friday computer forensic analyst Allan Friel-Myles, 31, said he was asked to examine Harris' computer evidence for the defence.

He agreed with Depute fiscal Neil Shand that programmes of its nature are “commonly used to cover tracks”.

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/north/182294-software-could-have-covered-child-porn-accused-doctors-tracks/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east_orkney_and_shetland/10292864.stm

Doctor convicted of child pornography charges

14 Jun 2010

A doctor sobbed in court as he was convicted of possessing more than 600 pornographic pictures of children.

Douglas Harris, 29, trawled through paedophile websites after working shifts as an orthopaedic surgeon at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Police found 371 indecent images of young girls and lewd chat room conversations with other perverts when they raided his city flat.

He was also found guilty of making or permitting 243 pornographic pictures of youngsters to be taken between 2004 and 2006.

Harris denied the allegations when he went on trial last week, claiming he was at work when the pictures were downloaded and his girlfriend was responsible.

But a jury at Aberdeen Sheriff Court took barely an hour to find him guilty by a unanimous verdict. Harris and his girlfriend, Maria Carle, both sobbed as the decision was read out.

Sheriff Annella Cowan deferred sentencing Harris until July 13 to allow for the preparation of background reports on the first-time offender.

The court had heard during the eight-day trial how police raided his flat in December 2006, removing a computer, two laptops, two digital cameras, 61 floppy discs and 203 CDs.

Ronald Findlay, a forensic computer analyst, told the jury he found 226 hidden files on the hard drive, each with a name made up of 32 random letters.

Three other folders were discovered, also containing child pictures featuring girls aged eight to 14 in provocative poses, naked or partially clothed.

Eight were at level four on the Copine Scale, the second most severe category of child pornography, indicating they showed youngsters having sex with adults.

Harris lodged two special defences, claiming Miss Carle and 'other persons' committed the crimes, and that he was not at home when images were downloaded and instant chat messages sent on the internet.

Miss Carle has said she was “certain in her heart” that he was not responsible for the crimes.

But, speaking after the verdict, Chief Inspector Phil Chapman, of Grampian Police, said: “This case shows that people from all walks of life can be involved in this kind of sickening activity.”

NHS Grampian refused to comment on the case but said the doctor was no longer working for the health board.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/scotland/7826996/Doctor-convicted-of-child-pornography-charges.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3014317/Doctor-Douglas-Harris-is-convicted-of-downloading-child-porn.html (By CHARLOTTE THOMSON)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east_orkney_and_shetland/10307932.stm

Oh dear.... now the poor man will have to go into prison and at some point may well have to mix with all those nasty hard criminal type people...how terribly sad.

malena stool wrote:Oh dear.... now the poor man will have to go into prison and at some point may well have to mix with all those nasty hard criminal type people...how terribly sad.

And it won't be Craiginches, neither; it'll be the Special Unit at Peterhead. G*d help him.

Man sentenced for downloading abuse images




Friday, 25 June 2010 22:19
A 62-year-old former school principal who had hundreds of images of child abuse on his home computer has been sentenced to ten months in prison.

Tony Canniffe of Rosegarth, Donnybrook, Douglas, Co Cork, said he accessed the material after he became depressed and isolated following his retirement.

Canniffe is a well-known traditional musician who worked as a teacher and school principal for more than 30 years.

In October, 2008, gardaí discovered 289 images of child abuse and six child pornography movie files on his home computer.

Some of these images were classified at the upper end of a scale of seriousness used by investigators, and involved children as young as six.

The images had been downloaded onto Canniffe's computer from the internet.

Canniffe pleaded guilty at Cork District Court to possession of child pornography.

His barrister, Sinead Behan, told the court he became depressed and isolated after leaving his busy career as a school principal.

She said he had a tremendous sense of shame and remorse, had engaged in 30 sessions of counselling and had undertaken an intensive six-week course at a centre which treats such offenders.

Judge Con O'Leary said Canniffe knew from his work as a teacher for 30 years how vulnerable children were and yet he still accessed child pornography.

The judge said he had his doubts about Canniffe's acceptance of responsibility for his actions.

He imposed a ten-month jail sentence with seven months suspended.

Canniffe was released on bail, after he lodged an appeal.

Southport deputy headteacher admits role in paedophile ring

Jul 2 2010

THE deputy headteacher of a Merseyside girls’ school has admitted his role in a paedophile ring.

Greenbank High School teacher Patrick Lennon pleaded guilty to encouraging another man to rape a three-year-old girl.

Lennon, 59, also admitted making nearly 1,800 obscene pictures of children and further allegations relating to “extreme pornography”.

Liverpool crown court heard those charges relate to disgusting images of people performing sexual acts on a horse.

Lennon, of Warwick Avenue, Crosby, appeared at the court via video-link from Walton prison, while two other men, John Hawley and Phillip Skitt, appeared in the dock.

The three men were accused of a total of 73 child sex offences, with Lennon alone accused of a total of 29 charges.

Wearing an open-necked shirt, Lennon pleaded guilty to a total of 23 of the offences.

He pleaded guilty to two offences of encouraging or assisting Hawley to rape a three-year-old girl, believing it would be committed on November 16.

He then pleaded guilty to 15 offences of making indecent images of children between November 2004 and March 10, 2010. Lennon also admitted six offences of possessing extreme pornography between January 26, 2009, and September 2, 2009.

He denied two offences of incitement to rape a child, another of incitement to sexually assault a child and three offences of encouraging or assisting an offence, believing it would be committed.

ennon has worked at Greenbank girls school, which is attended by 890 girls aged 11-16, since the 1970s. He was suspended from his post last September.

Alongside Lennon, Bolton man Hawley was charged with 30 charges. The 37-year-old, of Boundary Street, Halliwell, admitted three charges of rape between January 2008 and January 2010. Hawley’s victim was just two years old when the abuse began.

He also admitted three offences of assault by penetration and one charge of engaging in sexual activity in front of a child.

Hawley, who hung his head as he entered his pleas, admitted 13 further offences of making obscene pornography of children. But he denied 10 other offences, including two allegation of raping the child and charges of sexual assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and committing sexual acts in the presence of a child.

The third man, Skitt, of Orrell Road, Wigan, was charged with 14 offences.

The 54-year-old pleaded guilty to two offences of encouraging or assisting sexual abuse on the same day as Lennon. He then admitted five further charges of downloading obscene images of children and one of voyeurism. He denied two allegations of incitement to rape and another of sexual assault and three further offences of encouraging or assisting an offence.

Karen Brook, prosecuting, told the court that, in principle, all the pleas were acceptable to the crown prosecution service. She asked for 14 days for the reviewing lawyer to assess the case. Judge Mark Brown agreed and gave the prosecution until July 15 to reach a decision. He ordered pre-sentence reports on all of them, while a psychiatric report was ordered for Hawley.

The judge remanded all men in custody to await sentencing on September 3.

He said: “Clearly I will be considering the issue of dangerousness in the case.”

He ordered all the men to sign the interim Sexual Offenders’ Register.

A spokesman for Sefton Council said: “This individual was suspended from his post in September 2009 as soon as these allegations came to light. He has not returned to the school since and has now resigned from his post.

“We understand that the charges related to his personal computer in his private life, and no allegations were made in connection with the school.”

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/07/02/southport-deputy-headteacher-admits-role-in-paedophile-ring-100252-26770864/

Southport deputy head admits encouraging child rape

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/10483924.stm

Don't worry Dr Mitchell I am quite sure you would be made to feel most welcome over at website known as ChaosRaptors

Child porn doctor sentenced by Aberdeen court

Tuesday, 13 July 2010

An Aberdeen doctor convicted of child pornography charges has been spared a jail sentence.

Douglas Harris, 29, downloaded 243 pictures of young girls from well-known paedophile sites after working shifts as a trainee hospital surgeon.

A jury took just over an hour to find him guilty following an eight-day trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last month.

On Tuesday, he was ordered to carry out three years of probation and 280 hours of community service.

During his trial, the court heard the doctor used sophisticated software to scramble file download data.

But police recovered fragments of internet chats from his computer which requested indecent images of young girls.

Harris had claimed someone else could have been responsible for downloading the images but he was convicted by a unanimous verdict.

'Distressing' images'

At his sentencing, Sheriff Annella Cowan adjourned the court for 15 minutes after being shown some of the images because she found them "distressing and unpleasant".

She said: "In reaching a view on sentence, I have to put aside subjective reactions to the images found on your computer.

"Any custodial sentence would be relatively short and would not address your behaviour. A community-based sentence will have a greater punishment, deterrence and restorative effect."

Last month, NHS Grampian said it no longer employed the former Aberdeen Royal Infirmary worker.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east_orkney_and_shetland/10611358.stm

OUTRAGE AS DOCTOR CAUGHT WITH CHILD PORN AVOIDS PRISON

Wednesday July 14,2010

CAMPAIGNERS denounced Scotland’s soft justice system yesterday after a doctor caught with 600 vile child sex images was spared jail.

Douglas Harris, 29, claimed his girlfriend, Maria Carle, downloaded the pictures while he was working at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Woodend Hospital.

But a jury at Aberdeen Sheriff Court convicted the trainee surgeon after hearing the clock on Harris’ PC could have been changed using sophisticated software to provide an alibi.

Despite viewing some of the images, Sheriff Annella Cowan yesterday said prison would not give Harris the “chance to come to terms” with his behaviour.

She sentenced him to three years’ probation and 280 hours of community service. He must also sign up to the Joint Sex Offenders project.

But the sentence appalled children’s charity Kidscape. Director Claude Knights said: “The sentence doesn’t seem to fully reflect the horror of these crimes. We should never forget these are real crimes, with real victims.”

During his trial the doctor insisted he was innocent and continued to blame live-in partner Carle, 29, for the offences, despite police recovering one snap which was downloaded a year before the couple met.

A total of 371 indecent images of children were found by officers on his PC. He was also found guilty of making, or permitting to be made, another 243 images between 2004 and 2006.

Harris’ solicitor told the court that Carle, who has stood by him, had recently been treated for leukaemia and had been suffering from depression. Harris has been suspended from work since 2006, and will never be able to return. Sheriff Cowan said the explicit nature of the pictures had been graded relatively low on the scale.

She said: “A custodial sentence would be relatively short, at most something between a month and 26 weeks. That would give you no chance to come to terms with your behaviour and address it.

“Therefore, with a great deal of hesitation, I have come to the idea that a community-based sentence would have a greater punishment, deterrent and restorative factor.”

Harris refused to comment as he left the court.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/186805/Outrage-as-doctor-caught-with-child-porn-avoids-prison/

He would have been better off inside. Aberdeen is a small city; he lives on a very small estate; and just about the whole town knows where that is. He'll be looking over his shoulder for ever.