A paediatrician who sexually abused young boys during medical examinations has been sentenced to 22 years in prison. Myles Bradbury, 41, from Herringswell, Suffolk, worked as a haematologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. He pleaded guilty to 25 offences against boys aged 10 to 16, including sexual assault, voyeurism, and possessing more than 16,000 indecent images.
Sentencing Bradbury at Cambridge Crown Court, Judge Gareth Hawkesworth described the abuse as a 'grotesque betrayal' of his Hippocratic oath. The judge noted that the tariff was reduced due to early guilty pleas, but said the evidence was overwhelming. The court heard that Bradbury carried out examinations 'purely for his own sexual gratification', sometimes abusing boys behind a curtain while their parents were in the room.
Bradbury's 18 victims included children with haemophilia, leukaemia, and other serious illnesses. The abuse took place over four and a half years, beginning within six months of his appointment in 2008. He used a camera pen in an attempt to photograph boys when partially clothed, though none of the 170,425 images found on the pen were classed as indecent. He was arrested in December 2013 after Canadian authorities alerted police that he had bought a DVD containing indecent images of children.
Detective Superintendent Gary Ridgway from Cambridgeshire Police said it would be 'naive' to assume the full scale of Bradbury's crimes is known, and urged other possible victims to come forward. Dr Keith McNeil, chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals, said the sentence recognises Bradbury's 'abhorrent betrayal' of his position as a doctor.
