NHS Lab Technician Downloaded Child And Extreme Porn On Work Computers

An NHS lab technician, who downloaded the most extreme category of pornography onto two health centre computers where he worked, was jailed for twenty months yesterday.

Anil Patel, 42, was employed at north London's Colindale Medical Centre within the Sexually Transmitted Bacteria Reference Laboratory.

He was sacked after an IT contractor discovered illegal pornography involving sick images of children as well as material involving animals within a computer file bearing his name.

Patel, of Charlton Road, Edgware pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children, plus one count of possessing extreme pornographic images at the Colindale Avenue centre. 

Prosecutor Mr. David Baird told Harrow Crown Court: "Mr. Patel was a lab technician employed by the NHS and in June last year outside contractors began working on their desktops and laptop computers.

"On June eleventh one contractor found pornography on a file called 'Anil Patel' and two computers were seized, a desktop and a laptop.

"One of the images involving a young girl was Category A, the most serious type an there was also one Category B and ten images under Category C.

"There were also one hundred and three extreme pornographic images."

Patel was arrested and questioned by police two days later. "He denied accessing or looking at the images."

Patel's lawyer Mr. Jeffrey Shine told the court: "We know from what happened in Rochdale that Asian men do have an issue and Mr. Patel does have a problem with adult pornography.

"The majority of material on these computers was of legal adult pornography.

"He was working in a lab and part of his work was to deal with medical issues arising out of images he analysed, bacterial work.

"He abused the trust of his employers by downloading adult pornography and this sinister diversion, which is the subject of these counts.

"He has gone to his GP and admitted his problem and has sought help for his difficulties.

"This has blighted his marriage, which is all but over and he has not seen his children since his arrest.

"He has lost his job, of course and is on benefits, Employment Support Allowance and Housing Benefit."

Recorder Michael Caplan QC told Patel: "There was a vast amount of pornography held by you, some of it for two years.

"This is a significant period of time and there was an abuse of trust, you being employed by an organisation that allowed you to use computers for work purposes."

Patel was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years and must pay a £100 victim surcharge.