Great Ormond Street doctor downloaded child abuse videos

A judge said it was "worrying" Ralph Harper, 31, had sought out a career in children's medicine

A former Great Ormond Street Hospital doctor who downloaded dozens of videos of children being sexually abused has been sentenced.

Police raided Ralph Harper's home in Stratford, east London, and found films on his laptop of children as young as eight being assaulted.

Most of the videos were classed in the most serious category.

Harper was given an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for 16 months, and 150 hours of community service.

A judge said it was "worrying" the 31-year-old had sought out a career in children's medicine.

Harper was a junior doctor at Great Ormond Street in central London from September 2016 to March 2017, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

'Trauma'

He then worked at St Mary's hospital before taking a job at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, where he was working when he was arrested in November last year.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, Judge John Lafferty said: "From your medical background you would know better than anyone the trauma children can suffer from this kind of abuse.

"The fact you were seeking a career in paediatrics is a very worrying aspect of this case."

Great Ormond Street Hospital, UCL and St Mary's all said Harper had passed necessary background checks before they employed him.

UCL added he was sacked from the Institute of Child Health after his arrest.

Harper's licence to practice medicine has been suspended while the General Medical Council carries out an investigation.

Harper admitted three counts of downloading indecent images of a child, comprising 21 category A, nine category B and six category C videos.

He was also ordered to pay £690 in fines and costs and must undergo 60 days of rehabilitation and sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.