A former NHS ear, nose and throat consultant, Matthew Isles, has been jailed for three years and ten months after police uncovered a staggeringly vast collection of child sexual abuse material and a paedophile manual in his possession.
The 53-year-old, who previously worked at the Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford, as well as serving 22 years in the Armed Forces, was arrested in February following an undercover police operation.
NHS undercover sting an arrest
Between 25 January and 6 February this year, Isles engaged in sexually explicit conversations with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old boy on a gay dating website. While he initially claimed he did not want to go to prison, Isles later continued the chat, discussing the possibility of meeting in person.
When officers raided his home in Whiston, near Cheadle, Staffordshire, on 10 February, they seized multiple devices containing more than 90,000 images and videos of children.
The collection includes 1,978 Category A images (the most serious), 1,317 Category B images
2,134 Category C images 459 prohibited images of children.
A paedophile manual detailing methods of abusing children
Also found were voyeuristic images in a folder named Spycam, secretly recorded of a woman who was unaware she was being filmed. Isles had also attempted to engage in sexual communication with a 15-year-old girl.
At Stoke Crown Court, Isles admitted 13 offences, including an attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child. Making and distributing indecent images of children.
Possessing a paedophile manual and prohibited images, Voyeurism and possessing extreme pornographic images
Prosecutor Hunter Grey described the case as utterly calculated grooming, noting that every image represented the abuse of a real child.
Defence barrister Phil Bradley KC acknowledged Isles’ “catastrophic fall from grace” but said he had taken steps to address his behaviour.
Judge Richard McConaghy rejected calls for a suspended sentence, stating“Each and every image depicts a real child suffering real sexual abuse, some of it of the most depraved kind imaginable.”
Isles must serve half his sentence in custody before being released on licence and is subject to an indefinite
Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Detective Inspector Alex Glover of Staffordshire Police’s Public Protection Unit said:
“Isles sought out and hoarded images of the most horrific abuse of children. The continued circulation of such material normalises abuse and drives the creation of new content.”
The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust confirmed Isles is no longer employed and had cooperated fully with the investigation.
