Former mental health nurse possessed indecent images

Kevin Barry Anderson pleaded guilty to a total of 19 indecent images offences committed between April 2018 and June 2020.

The charges include making indecent photographs of children and possession of an extreme pornographic image.

The 39-year-old, of Woodvale Road, Eglinton, was ordered to complete an enhanced combination order of three years probation and 80 hours community service.

Derry Crown Court heard the defendant’s home address was searched in June 2020.

Anderson was arrested at his place of work, Gransha Hospital, and his mobile phone was seized.

This was examined and found to contain a number of indecent images of children, an extreme pornographic image and five extreme pornographic videos.

The court was told that 25 of the images found were of the most serious category.

During police interview, Anderson made full admissions to viewing the images for sexual gratification.

The defendant claimed the children in the images would all be in the 14-16-year-old age group.

However, the court heard that with the exception of one image, the children contained in the photos and videos were all very young children, including infants.

Anderson also told police he had only viewed the images on his mobile phone and this was provied to be correct after an examination of other devices belonging to him.

The 39-year-old concluded his police interview by stating he was totally ashamed and said ‘basically my life is over’.

The court heard that Anderson was a mental health nurse who held a ‘relatively senior post’ at the time of his arrest, which he has since resigned from.

Passing sentence, Judge Philip Babington ordered Anderson to be subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act for five years.

A sexual offences prevention order, which bans the defendant from possessing or using an internet enabled device without permission, was also imposed for a period of five years.