SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – British child cancer specialist, Myles Bradbury, 41, of Herringswell, Suffolk, admitted abusing 18 children in his care at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, between 2009 and 2013. Bradbury has admitted 25 offences, including sexual assault, voyeurism and possessing more than 16,000 indecent images. The judge told him his offences were a “gross and grotesque breach of trust”.
Sentencing him at Cambridge Crown Court, Judge Gareth Hawkesworth said: “In many years on the bench, I’ve never come across a more culpable or grave course of sexual criminality which has involved such a gross and grotesque breach and betrayal of your Hippocratic Oath and trust reposed in you by your patients.”
The judge told Bradbury, a blood cancer specialist who was arrested in December 2013, he had no doubt he had caused psychological harm to his victims and was at risk of doing so in future.
Canadian authorities had alerted the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) in July 2012 that Bradbury had bought a DVD containing indecent images of children, but Ceop did not pass on the information until November 2013.
In September, he pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual assault and 13 counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child.
Bradbury also admitted three counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of voyeurism and two counts of making indecent images of a child.
Bradbury had used a spy pen to take pictures of his victims.
It contained 170,425 images of “boys partially clothed… none indecent”, the court heard.
The images of his victims, some of whom had haemophilia, leukaemia and other serious illnesses, were gathered at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
The hospital’s chief executive, Dr Keith McNeil, said: “Our thoughts today are with our patients and families who were victims of Bradbury’s shocking and cynical abuse.
“Today’s sentencing of Bradbury cannot undo the damage he caused but he is finally behind bars and is no longer a risk to vulnerable children.
“The lengthy sentence shows Bradbury’s abhorrent betrayal and manipulation of his position as a doctor has been fully recognised.” As well as sentencing him to 22 years, Judge Hawkesworth said Bradbury would be placed on the sex offenders register for life and also made subject of a sexual offences prevention order for life.
Det Supt Gary Ridgway from Cambridgeshire Police, said: “This case has understandably caused distress to many people.
“Bradbury was highly respected and revered by the families of his victims who trusted him implicitly but he betrayed that trust in an appalling way, by carrying out examinations purely for his own sexual gratification.”
Reacting to the sentence, the parents of one victim said: “We’re very happy… it may be over for him but it’s not for us.”
Another mother said: “I’m very pleased – he’s got what he deserved.”
Mr Ridgeway paid tribute to the victims and their families, saying they showed “great bravery in coming forward and ensuring Bradbury was held to account”.
Source: BBC
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