A paediatrician who sexually abused boys as young as 10 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 and admitted 25 offences, including sexual assault, voyeurism, and possessing more than 16,000 indecent images.
Sentencing Bradbury at Cambridge Crown Court, Judge Gareth Hawkesworth described his actions as “one of the worst forms of sexual abuse imaginable” and a “grotesque betrayal” of the Hippocratic oath. The court heard how Bradbury exploited the trust of his patients, many of whom suffered from serious illnesses such as haemophilia and leukaemia, carrying out examinations “purely for his own sexual gratification”.
Prosecutor John Farmer said Bradbury encouraged patients to see him alone and, under the guise of legitimate examinations, fondled their genitals and encouraged them to masturbate. On some occasions, he continued the abuse behind a curtain while parents were in the room. The offences took place over four and a half years, beginning within six months of his appointment in 2008 and continuing until he was suspended in 2013.
Bradbury was first arrested in December 2013 after Canadian authorities alerted police that he had bought a DVD containing indecent images of children as part of Operation Spade. Cambridgeshire Police were already investigating concerns raised by a boy who told his parents about the abuse. Police found a camera pen containing 170,425 images, though none were classed as indecent.
Detective Superintendent Gary Ridgway said it would be “naive to assume that we know the full scale of what he did” and encouraged other potential victims to come forward. Dr Keith McNeil, chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals, said Bradbury’s “shocking and cynical abuse” was a betrayal of his position, adding that the lengthy sentence recognises the harm caused.
