ANDREW CLAYTON: DERBY PSYCHIATRIST CAUGHT WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN DERBY

In a disturbing case that has shocked the Derby community, Andrew Clayton, a psychiatrist with longstanding ties to Derby, has been found guilty of possessing child pornography. The incident marks the second such case involving a Derbyshire medical professional within a single month, raising serious concerns about safeguarding and professional conduct in the region.

Clayton, aged 52, was discovered to have attempted to conceal his illicit activities by deleting indecent images from his computer. However, authorities uncovered a total of 87 pornographic images on a hard drive seized from his residence in Derby. Some of these images were classified by investigators as category five, indicating the most severe and graphic content involving children.

His court appearance came just four weeks after Heanor GP Robert Manley was sentenced to three years in prison for amassing nearly 90,000 indecent images of children. The timing of these cases has heightened public concern about the presence of such offenders within the medical community of Derbyshire.

Judge John Burgess sentenced Clayton to a three-year community order, emphasizing the gravity of his actions. During the hearing, the judge stated, "People who look at these kinds of images are engaging in child abuse. People like you are the market, the market for the pornographers who take these pictures and put them on the internet. If there weren’t people like you to view this material, these children would not be abused."

Clayton, who worked as a psychiatrist at Derby City Hospital from 1987 until 2006, was also prohibited from working with children under the age of 16 for the next five years. An investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC) is currently underway to assess whether Clayton remains fit to practice medicine. The GMC has not disclosed where Clayton worked between 2006 and his suspension in December of the previous year, but it is believed he was practicing privately.

The police investigation was initiated after the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) identified Clayton’s attempt to access a website offering child pornography, which led to a tip-off to law enforcement authorities. In September 2007, police executed a search warrant at Clayton’s home on Whitaker Road in Derby, seizing a computer containing the illicit material. The hard drive contained 35 active images, which could still be viewed, and 52 unallocated images, which had been deleted but were recoverable.

Prosecutor Jon Wood revealed that Clayton had installed software designed to erase traces of his browsing history, indicating an attempt to avoid detection. Additionally, Clayton had searched for the term “CP” (child pornography) on a search engine, claiming he was researching websites related to corporal punishment, a defense that was dismissed by the court.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Burgess explained that although he could have imposed a custodial sentence, he opted for a community order because the number of images was relatively low. He also noted the lengthy 20-month delay in bringing the case to court, stating, “If you had admitted your responsibility sooner you would have been brought to this court much more quickly. This has been hanging over your head for 20 months and that in itself is like a sentence.”

Clayton pleaded guilty to four counts of making indecent images of children and admitted to two additional charges of possession of indecent images on September 9, 2007. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to undergo supervision by the probation service, participate in a community sex offenders’ group program, and sign the sex offenders’ register for five years.

During the hearing, Avik Mukherjee, representing Clayton, expressed remorse, stating that his client was “deeply sorry” for his crimes. Mukherjee added, “He’s lost his good name, his job, his self-respect, and his marriage is now in real danger.” The case has once again cast a spotlight on the importance of vigilance and strict oversight within the medical and professional communities in Derby and beyond.