GP, 52, who downloaded tons of of kid abuse pictures is struck off

One of Britain’s most senior GPs has been struck off after he was arrested, convicted and disgraced in court docket over a haul of kid abuse footage which he claimed he downloaded as a result of he was ‘exhausted’ by his 75-hour working week. 

Dr Robert Varnam, 52, who was accountable for bettering physician efficiency at NHS England was detained by police in 2020 after he was caught with a library of 241 indecent pictures of kids – some aged as younger as six.

Detectives interrogated Varnam’s on-line units and located two pictures displaying younger kids being compelled to participate in penetrative sexual exercise. Other pictures confirmed different wicked sexual acts involving kids aged as much as 17. 

He had used on-line search phrases to entry the photographs.

When quizzed Varnam insisted he had no sexual curiosity in kids and had downloaded the photographs whereas exhausted after working 75-hour weeks.

But he was later ordered to signal the Sex Offender Register and hauled earlier than a decide who condemned him for indulging in an ‘evil commerce worse than drug dealing’.

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, Varnam who lives in an imposing £750,000 five-bedroom Victorian semi in Withington, Manchester was ordered to be erased from the medical register after his health to practise medication was discovered to be impaired. 

He beforehand stated he has no intention of returning to scientific observe.

The disciplinary sanction brings to an finish a 27 yr profession for Varnam. As Director of General Practice Development for NHS England, he was the face behind a proposed £2.4billion funding generally observe which vowed to vary GP session strategies, cut back the numbers of sufferers who fail to attend appointments and enhance social prescribing.

He was additionally working as a GP Principal, on the Robert Darbishire Practice in Rusholme, Manchester when police caught him at residence with the gathering of kid abuse pictures after receiving intelligence gathered throughout investigations into on-line predators.

The General Medical Council have been alerted to Varnam’s arrest in December 2020 after Greater Manchester Police discovered he had downloaded 226 indecent pictures in Category C, 13 in Category B and two in essentially the most severe Category A over a six month interval.

In July 2023 at Manchester Crown Court he was sentenced to a two yr neighborhood order, a rehabilitation exercise requirement and 150 hours of unpaid work to be accomplished inside 12 months after he admitted three prices of creating indecent pictures. 

He was additionally ordered to signal the Sex Offender Register and abide by the phrases of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 5 years.

At the time the decide Mr Recorder Jason McAdam instructed him: ‘This kind of offending offends the ideas of each rightminded pondering particular person.

‘As regards the taking of such pictures or posting of such pictures, I settle for you didn’t do both of these issues – you simply checked out them. But it’s an evil commerce, in some methods worse than drug dealing.

‘It causes untold distress for the victims and it’s executed merely to line the pockets of such individuals who commerce in such issues, or to commerce with different individuals who have a equally perverted mindset. For that cause, the courts take this kind of offending extraordinarily critically.’

Counsel for thee GMC Ms Georgina Goring instructed the MPTS listening to in Manchester: ‘This conviction brings the medical career into disrepute and includes grave issues which critically undermine public belief within the career.

‘Over 200 indecent pictures of kids have been recovered from Dr Varnam’s units and the ages of the kids depicted within the pictures ranged from 6 to 17, with the bulk falling between ages 8 to 12.

‘Two of the photographs have been ‘Category A’, essentially the most severe class of indecent picture. This was not an remoted incident as the photographs had been downloaded over a interval of 5 to 6 months in 2020. His continued denial of a sexual curiosity in kids raises doubts about his perception into his offending. There is a danger of repetition.’

For Varnam, Lee Hughes stated his consumer had been on a ‘journey of reflection’ since his arrest and had accomplished rehabilitation programmes which he stated ‘addressed his undesirable behaviours.’ 

The GP has since put in Covenant Eyes software program on his units to make sure he doesn’t entry pornography.

Varnam himself offered a signed witness assertion detailing so-called ‘triggers’ for his offending and admitting he was ‘sickened’ by his behaviour.. He stated previous to his arrest, he was working ‘very lengthy hours in his scientific roles and infrequently labored as much as 75 hours per week, not often took a break and uncared for his self-care.’

He stated he initially checked out naturist pictures of kids, however subsequently downloaded extra sexual abuse pictures of kids.

He claimed he had no recollection of downloading the photographs, and denied a sexual curiosity in kids. However police offered particulars of the varied on-line search phrases utilized by Dr Varnam to entry the photographs.

MPTS chairman Mrs Fiona Barnett stated: ‘The offences for which Dr Varnam was convicted didn’t relate in any solution to sufferers or his scientific observe so the Tribunal was due to this fact happy that the conviction didn’t place sufferers at unwarranted danger of hurt.

‘However, given the character and seriousness of the conviction and the sentencing remarks of the Crown Court Judge, the Tribunal concluded that it introduced the career into disrepute. The conclusion of the Tribunal was that the search phrases he used strongly counsel he was trying to find pictures of younger females, and was more likely to discover them given the actual search phrases that he used.

‘The Tribunal discovered it unlikely in these circumstances that he didn’t have a sexual curiosity in kids. ‘

She stated the tribunal had assessed Varnam’s danger of repetition as being ‘low’ however added: ‘A conviction for making indecent pictures of kids isn’t a matter which is ‘simply remediable’ as a result of it pertains to behaviour which is integrally linked to core attitudes and pondering expertise.

‘Dr Varnam has expressed regret and having thought of the witness assertion, the Tribunal accepted that the regret was real. But it didn’t settle for Dr Varnam’s assertion that he had no sexual curiosity in kids.

‘Dr Varnam’s conviction is for an offence of the utmost seriousness which has far-reaching and damaging penalties for the victims of such offending. Further, people who commit such offences encourage the demand for indecent pictures of kids to be obtainable on the web.

‘Dr Varnam is now a registered intercourse offender and members of the general public can be appalled to be taught {that a} registered Doctor has a conviction for making indecent pictures of kids.’