© PA Myles Bradbury A children’s doctor who sexually abused boys in his care has been jailed for 22 years in a case described by a judge as “one of the worst forms of sexual abuse imaginable”.Cancer specialist Myles Bradbury carried out examinations on youngsters “purely for his own sexual gratification” and with no medical justification.His 18 victims, aged between 10 and 16, included children with haemophilia, leukaemia and other serious illnesses.
The married 41-year-old father-of-one, who worked at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, and lived in Herringswell, Suffolk, pleaded guilty to 25 offences including sexual assault, voyeurism and possessing more than 16,000 indecent images.
Judge Gareth Hawkesworth said Bradbury’s sentence would be reduced because of his early guilty pleas although “some might observe” that the overwhelming evidence against him meant he had little choice but to admit the offences.
Describing Bradbury as “manipulative”, he added: “For a doctor to attack children in this way is one of the worst forms of sexual abuse imaginable.”
The judge continued: “These boys were all vulnerable and gravely ill. In all my years on the bench, I have never come across such a grotesque betrayal of your Hippocratic oath.
“There are almost too many aggravating factors to list in your prolonged carefully, planned and cruel abuse.
“It is implicit in what you did for your own sexual gratification that you were targeting the most vulnerable, sick children.”
He added that he had no doubt Bradbury had caused “serious psychological” harm to his victims and there was a risk he would do so in future but said the doctor’s recognition of his deviancy meant the risk could be managed.
Prosecutor John Farmer said Bradbury had a “long-standing, unlawful sexual interest in boys” and on occasions had abused boys behind a curtain while their parents were in the room .
Mr Farmer said the offences were a “grave breach of trust”, which had undermined the trust of patients in his profession.
“This defendant was a complete maverick and his behaviour is the antithesis of his profession – he has betrayed his profession,” he added.
Bradbury, who was also involved in church and Scout groups, was described as “a man of great charm and persuasiveness” whom everybody trusted.
When one victim raised concerns with his mother, she responded: “He’s a doctor, it must be necessary.”
The offences took place over four-and-a-half years, beginning within six months of him taking up his post in 2008 and continuing to the day he was suspended when the first concerns were raised.
At some point, he began using a camera pen in an attempt to gain images of the boys when partially clothed, Mr Farmer added.
Police found 170,425 images on this pen, but none were classed as indecent.
Mr Farmer said Bradbury was first arrested in December last year after police were alerted by Canadian authorities that he had bought a DVD containing indecent images of children as part of Operation Spade.
At that point, Cambridgeshire Police were already investigating after concerns were raised about his conduct.
In mitigation, Bradbury’s barrister Angela Rafferty said his guilty pleas had spared his victims the ordeal of giving evidence in court.
She added: “Clearly on a human level something has gone very badly wrong in this man’s life and thought processes.”
Ms Rafferty added that he accepted what he did was “repugnant”.
“He knows he will not get any understanding or forgiveness because what he did was unforgivable,” she said.
“His medical life may have done some good at some time, but that means nothing now. He accepts that that was the life which allowed him to commit those offences.”
