ST NEOTS IT EXPERT MARTIN COLE JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AT ADDENBROOKE'S HOSPITAL

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community, Martin Cole, a 42-year-old IT specialist from St Neots, has been sentenced to prison for his involvement in downloading and possessing child pornography while employed at Addenbrooke's Hospital. The incident has raised serious concerns about security and safeguarding within the healthcare institution.

According to court records, Cole used his position within the hospital's IT department to access illegal websites, where he viewed and downloaded highly disturbing images depicting the sexual abuse of children. The court heard that he had accessed these illicit sites using an office computer, raising questions about the security protocols in place at the hospital. The images found on Cole’s work computer included 16 indecent pictures, with half of them classified as level four on a severity scale, just one step below the most severe category. This detail underscores the disturbing nature of the material he was viewing.

His actions did not go unnoticed for long. Security personnel at Addenbrooke's, who monitor computer activity to prevent misuse, identified Cole’s repeated searches for indecent images of children. This prompted an internal investigation, which ultimately led to his arrest. Further inquiries revealed that Cole had also attempted to find similar material on his personal computer at home. Police investigations uncovered searches for terms such as “Lolita,” “pre-teen,” and “incest,” indicating a pattern of interest in illegal content.

At the time of his arrest, Cole was residing in Offord D'Arcy, St Neots, but he has since moved to Church Lane, Methwold. He faced multiple charges, including eight counts of attempting to make indecent images of children and eight counts of possessing such images. Despite denying the charges, Cole was found guilty on all 16 counts, a verdict that led to his immediate collapse in court and required medical attention.

Judge Neil McKittrick, presiding over the case at Ipswich Crown Court, delivered a stern sentence. Cole was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison, and he was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next ten years. Additionally, he received an indefinite ban from working with children and was restricted from using the internet unless for work or educational purposes. The judge emphasized the gravity of Cole’s actions, stating, “If you possess images of this sort you yourself are part of a chain of degradation which, if one continues to the end, has led to a child, or children, being abused sexually in the most offensive way.”

During sentencing, Judge McKittrick also criticized Cole’s apparent denial of his guilt. The court noted that Cole refused to admit his wrongdoing and attempted to shift blame by suggesting that someone else had downloaded the images. The judge described this as an attempt to divert suspicion onto innocent colleagues, which he found particularly troubling. As a consequence of his conviction, Cole was dismissed from his position at Addenbrooke's Hospital, reflecting the serious breach of trust involved in his actions.