NHS Computer Expert Sentenced for Child Pornography After Seven-Year Delay

A former NHS computer expert, Ross Morton, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, after downloading indecent images of children for a second time. The case was plagued by delays, with police losing evidence and taking seven years to bring Morton to justice.

Morton was initially arrested in 2014 after hundreds of indecent images and videos were found on his mobile phone. He was released under investigation and later interviewed in 2016 about disturbing chats found on the Kik platform, but no charges were filed.

In 2018, police again raided Morton's home, this time finding hundreds more indecent images, including some of the most serious kind. Morton admitted accessing these images through the dark web and said he was "searching out of curiosity" after being investigated by police.

Recorder Jamie Hill QC, who sentenced Morton, criticized the "extraordinary amount of time" it took to bring the case to court. He noted that police lost evidence in 2014, which led to further delays and a second round of offenses by Morton.

Morton's defense attorney, Stuart Graham, argued that if police had acted more swiftly in 2014, Morton might not have re-offended. He said that Morton was "appalled" by his actions and "exceedingly tearful" at the prospect of telling his family about his crimes.

Northumbria Police acknowledged the delays in the case and said they were "committed to bringing cases to court in a timely manner." They also said they would ensure any learning points from the case were taken forward.