Nurse banned from working in healthcare over child sex abuse videos

A nurse has been banned from working in his profession ever again after child sex abuse videos were found on his phone. The man has been suspended with immediate effect. He will be removed from the register that every healthcare worker has to be in to find work and will also not be allowed to be re-entered into the registry. The regional disciplinary committee in Den Bosch made this decision.

The man had worked at a care institution since 2017. The disciplinary committee would not name the institution. In 2022, he was caring for a boy who was five years old at the time. The boy’s parents reported that the man was guilty of sexually transgressive behavior. The institution then handed over the information to the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate. The parents also reported the crime to the police.

During the investigation, detectives found eighty downloaded videos of child abuse on the man’s phone. Some images were virtual, meaning that they were generated by a computer, but there were also some images of real abuse.

The court acquitted the man of accusations of sexual abuse with the boy, but he was convicted of possession of child sex abuse videos. He was given a conditionally suspended three-month prison sentence and 240 hours of community service. The man and the public prosecution service both appealed the verdict. This appeal is still ongoing.

The nurse said that he was only curious and searched some images. He claims to have not known that the images were saved to his phone. The disciplinary committee did not find these arguments believable. In almost a years time, he opened the folder on seven occasions, the investigation proved.

The downloading and viewing of child sex abuse videos does not fit in the position of a nurse, the disciplinary committee ruled. “With his actions, the nurse is helping the supply and demand of forbidden child sex abuse videos. He is contributing to the sexual abuse and exploitation of children who then suffer psychological and physical consequences as a result.”