NHS hospital anaesthetist Mark Carrington caught by undercover officer making plan to abuse girl, 7
A "predator" who worked as a senior NHS hospital anaesthetist was snared by undercover police as he made arrangements to sexually abuse a child.
Mark Carrington, 49, made plans with someone online to meet up in person so that they could sexually abuse a seven-year-old girl together.
But when he arrived he discovered that the person he had been speaking to was an undercover police officer and he was arrested.
Carrington, from Radlett in Hertfordshire, was working as a consultant anaesthetist at the Royal Free Hospital in London at the time. There was no evidence that any of his offending was linked to his patients or his work at the hospital, said police.
He appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Friday and was jailed for 28 months after admitting one count of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence and three counts of making an indecent image of a child.
He has been in custody since his guilty pleas in January. He must also sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and was issued with a sexual harm prevention order.
'Depraved and dangerous'
He was caught in an operation carried out by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), whose undercover officer spoke to Carrington online. They arranged for him to meet another fictional person on the agreement that they would sexually abuse a seven year old girl together.
Carrington was arrested by officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary in Finchley, London, on 26 January.
He was suspended as soon as the hospital's management team was made aware.
Det Sgt Jim Miller said: “Carrington’s actions showed he is a serious danger to children as he believed he had arranged a meeting in which he would carry out the sexual abuse of a child.
“What is additionally concerning is that Carrington occupied a great position of trust in his medical role, and although he knew what he was doing was utterly wrong, he carried on."
He thanked other police teams for their "partnership approach to capturing an online predator" and the Royal Free Hospital for its cooperation.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Buckthorpe, of the NWROCU, called Carrington a "depraved and dangerous" offender.
He added: “We welcome the sentencing of Mark Carrington and hope that the public feel safer in the knowledge that this sexual predator, who was a significant risk to children, is now behind bars."