A consultant cancer specialist who downloaded explicit images of underage girls — some as young as four — has avoided jail after blaming the coronavirus pandemic for his deteriorating mental health.
Paul Sturch, 41, a consultant urological surgeon who previously treated prostate cancer patients at King’s College Hospital, Camberwell, was sentenced to a suspended prison term at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
Police raided Sturch’s apartment in Hitch Quay, Wandsworth, south London, in October 2023 after he was identified chatting online with an undercover officer about his interest in young girls. During the search, officers caught him attempting to destroy a memory stick that later revealed illegal images. He also had a white iPhone containing further evidence.
Prosecutor Jonathan Gold told the court: “There are some aggravating features — the ages of some of the children are quite young, some are as young as four years old.”
Sturch, who had not returned to work since the discovery, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He must also complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity, remain under probation supervision for 18 months, sign the sex offenders register for seven years, and adhere to a seven-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his internet use.
The court heard that Sturch’s mental health had collapsed after working long hours on the Covid-19 front line. His defence barrister, Simon Ray KC, said the pandemic had left the doctor “exhausted and mentally disintegrated,” adding: “He was working to exhaustion to save lives during the Covid-19 pandemic and he has dedicated his life to the care of others.”
Ray argued that the offences were committed entirely online and did not involve any physical contact with children. “There is nothing professionally that brings him into contact with children. His speciality is very much adult men,” he said, adding that the doctor had “rare” surgical skills and still hoped to return to medicine.
“He takes full responsibility for his actions,” said Ray. “Although he recalls little of the offences, he feels appalled, crushed, and overwhelmed by remorse and shame.”
The court was told that the General Medical Council (GMC) had been informed and that Sturch’s medical career now hangs in the balance. Judge Anne Brown said she would not speculate on the GMC’s decision but took the unusual step of suspending the prison sentence, citing Sturch’s mental health and potential for rehabilitation.
“There were children under obvious distress,” Judge Brown noted, “and we must take the age and vulnerability of the children into account.” However, she concluded there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and that Sturch posed a low risk of reoffending.
Medical evidence submitted to the court confirmed that Sturch had been suffering from a depressive disorder at the time, leading to “poor judgement and impulsivity.”
Sturch has not practised medicine since his arrest. A GMC spokesperson said they could not comment on individual cases but confirmed an investigation into his fitness to practise would proceed.
