A HIGH-RANKING nurse who was the deputy ward manager at a mental health unit in Colchester has been sentenced for viewing child abuse images.
Anand Chinnathamby uploaded ten indecent images of children to his Gmail account, which he had named after a ward he previously worked on.
Ipswich Crown Court heard on Friday how the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children closed down Chinnathamby’s Gmail account and referred it to the National Crime Agency (NCA).
NCA officers arrested Chinnathamby, 43, at his home address 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 Chinnathamby was subsequently charged with three counts of making indecent images of children in categories A, B and C.
After admitting all the charges against him, Chinnathamby was sentenced to an eight-month jail term, suspended for two years.
He has also been dismissed from his job at the care centre and struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Daniel Waywell, from the National Crime Agency, said technology companies were key to tracing Chinnathamby’s offending and bringing him to justice.
He 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.”
Mr Waywell said further offenders will be caught and prosecuted by the authorities.
“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.”
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