Consultant urologist Paul Sturch, 41, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children between September 9 and October 17, 2023
A consultant cancer specialist has blamed the coronavirus pandemic for making him exhausted after being caught downloading explicit images of underage girls – some as young as four.
Consultant urologist Paul Sturch, 41, received a suspended prison sentence on Thursday and will also face professional disciplinary proceedings for his actions. The doctor, who treats prostate cancer, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children between September 9 and October 17, 2023.
Police raided Sturch’s apartment in Hitch Quay, Wandsworth, south London, after he was identified chatting online with an undercover officer concerning his interest in girls aged four years old and up. When his address was searched, the doctor was seen attempting to tamper with or destroy a memory stick on which images were found, prosecutor Jonathan Gold told Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court.
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The prosecutor said: “His address was searched and he was seen attempting to tamper with or destroy a memory stick on which images were found along with a white iPhone. There are some aggravating features, the ages of some of the children are quite young, some are as young as four years-old.”
The court heard that Sturch’s mental health deteriorated while working on the medical frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic – and Simon Ray KC, defending, told Judge Anne Brown: “The General Medical Council (GMC) are aware and a custodial sentence would almost certainly end his career, but not if you follow the recommendation of the pre-sentence report of a community sentence.”
The doctor, who hasn’t returned to work at King’s College Hospital, Camberwell, said he feels “appalled, crushed and overwhelmed by remorse and shame. His KC reminded told the court that Sturch’s offending was purely online and didn’t involve physical contact with children. The barrister said Sturch still has ambitions to return to the medical profession.
“There is nothing professionally that brings him into contact with children. His speciality is very much adult men,” said Mr Ray. “He was working to exhaustion to save lives during the Covid-19 pandemic and he has dedicated his life to the care of others.
“This frontline work on the Covid ward contributed to his mental disintegration that led to the commission of these offences. He takes full responsibility for his actions and offending, although he recalls little of his offending actions.
“He is a consultant urological surgeon with a speciality in prostate cancer, undertaking life-saving procedures. He has skills that are rare. If ever there was a case where the court can be sure offences will not be repeated its is this one.
“The effect on the defendant losing his career and everything he has worked for would be devastating. Work is his identity and it is something he has worked on all of his life,” added Mr Ray. “If the defendant is struck-off it would be a personal tragedy and the NHS would lose a talented surgeon.”
Judge Brown sentenced Sturch to six months imprisonment, suspended for eighteen months, which includes thirty days of a rehabilitation activity requirement. He will also be under Probation Service supervision for eighteen months, must sign the sex offenders register for seven years and was made subject to a seven-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which restricts his internet use, plus further conditions.
“There were children under obvious distress and I will not go into details in open court,” announced Judge Brown. “We must take the age and vulnerability of the children into account. It is not for me to second-guess the GMC. I have to decide if there is an alternative to a custodial sentence.
“I do not think it is helpful to guess what the GMC will do in the future. I don’t know their work,” said the judge. “By the time the police came to his flat he was no longer going to work,” said Mr Ray. “The police bodyworn camera presents a powerful of where he was at the time in his life. his state and the state of his flat.”
The defence submitted medical reports revealed Sturch had a depressive disorder that led to “poor judgement and impulsivity.” Mr Ray added: “People can function when they really, really have to, but behind the scenes they are collapsing.”
