WIREDGOV

A nurse from Ipswich who worked with vulnerable adults has been sentenced for viewing child abuse images.

Anand Chinnathamby, 43, who was the deputy ward manager at a mental health unit in Colchester, Essex, came to the attention of the National Crime Agency after he uploaded 10 indecent images of children to his Gmail account.

His account was closed down and reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the US, who referred it to the NCA.

NCA officers arrested Chinnathamby at his home in Ipswich in April 2022 and seized his phone.

Despite a large amount of data having been deleted from the phone around the time his Gmail account was disabled, officers found file paths for over 100 indecent images of children that had previously been saved on the device.

Evidence was also recovered that proved he had control of the offending account, and had named the email address linked to it after a ward he had previously worked on.

Chinnathamby was charged with three counts of making indecent images of children in categories A-C. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced today [31 May 2024] at Ipswich Crown Court to eight months, suspended for two years.

He has also been dismissed from his job at the care centre.

Daniel Waywell from the National Crime Agency said:

“This case shows the important role that tech companies play in supporting the prosecution of those with a sexual interest in children.

“Chinnathamby was trusted to protect the welfare of vulnerable people while hiding the fact he was actively viewing child abuse material. The Google report was key to NCA investigators being able to identify him and ensure he was brought to justice.

“The NCA is committed to ensuring those who fuel the demand for this material and contribute to the re-victimisation of children are held to account.”