A paramedic who engaged in a sexually explicit online chat about abusing a 13-year-old girl has been removed from the professional register. Andrew Martindale, 61, who worked for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, admitted making an indecent photograph of a child in June 2021.
Police discovered indecent images of children on a laptop and mobile phone at his home in Newport. The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service ruled that Martindale had brought the profession into disrepute and was not satisfied he would not reoffend.
At Isle of Wight Crown Court, prosecutors said four charges were initially brought, but three were allowed to lie on file after Martindale pleaded guilty to making an indecent photograph of a child. The court heard he had sent messages to an undercover male police officer posing as a woman with a 13-year-old daughter, discussing sexual acts involving the girl.
The tribunal transcript noted that Martindale was described as 'riddled with remorse' and that his focus was on the adult he believed he was communicating with, rather than the child. He received a two-year community order with 30 days of rehabilitation activity and a five-year sexual harm prevention order.
Striking him off the register on Thursday, the tribunal stated that Martindale had broken one of the fundamental tenets of the profession. The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service concluded that his actions had brought the profession into disrepute.
