Former West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic struck off after conviction for indecent images of a child

Andrew Grant, aged 36, downloaded more than 11,000 images and four movies of children as young as three and four.

Of his haul, which were discovered on two computers, 65 images and one movie were classed in the Category A most extreme forms of sexual abuse of children.

Two movies and a further 65 images were of the second most serious Category B nature, while one movie and 11,331 images at Category C level were also downloaded by Grant.

He has been struck off the Health Care Professionals Council register following his conviction at Birmingham Magistrates Court.

A panel of the HCPC Conduct and Competence Committee heard that Grant resigned from the West Midlands Ambulance Service on 23 October, 2014 after 13 years service after admitting to the police that he had been viewing child pornography for five to 10 years through an internet site. He had not shared the images.

Grant was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on November 2, 2015 to a total of six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, a supervision order for two years, a Sexual Harm Prevention order and a requirement to undertake a Facing Forward rehabilitation programme.

Panel chairman Pamela Mansell said Grant posed a real risk to the public and could not be kept on in a position of trust.

She said: "He has been complicit in child sexual abuse and exploitation of children by downloading pornographic images of children over an extensive period of time.

"His behaviour has undermined public confidence in the paramedic profession.

"Paramedics occupy a role of trust and he has breached a fundamental tenet of the profession by reason of these convictions, and continues to pose a real risk to the public."

The mitigating features taken into consideration by the board included the fact that Grant cooperated with the police, made admissions and pleaded guilty. He had a previously good record during his career.

The HCPC's report also said that there is evidence that he is ashamed of his behaviour and expressed remorse at the court hearing.

The aggravating factors were that this was a five to 10 year period of downloading and making of indecent images and pseudo-photographs of children, whose ages range from three to 10, with the majority of images being of 10-year-old girls or thereabouts.

The report said: "Such images of children carry with them a high degree of harm for the victims; by making the images, Grant is complicit with the sexual abuse of children."

The panel directed to strike him from the register from July 22, 2016, with an interim suspension order to cover the appeal period.

Grant, whose last address at court was given as Chester Road, Erdington, was not present nor represented at the hearing.