Sheffield Children's Hospital reassures families after former employee is sentenced over indecent images of youngsters

Phillip Gill was this week given a suspended prison sentence after being caught with 388 indecent images of youngsters on his laptop and mobile phone.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how the 30-year-old, formerly of Wybourn House Road, near Park Hill, Sheffield, worked at the hospital at the time of his arrest, and some of the images were found on a mobile phone recovered from his work locker.

But hospital chiefs said he had been immediately removed from his role in 2019 when concerns were identified and assured families that he had posed no risk to children in its care and there was no suggestion any of the images were taken on its site.

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Sally Shearer, the hospital’s executive director of nursing and quality, said: “We’re really sorry that this person was employed at Sheffield Children’s. We have high standards as an organisation and expect all colleagues to align with our behaviours and values.

“He was immediately removed from his role in 2019 when concerns were identified. We can reassure families that he wasn’t working in wards or cubicle spaces and posed no risk to children in our care.

“There is no suggestion that any of the images were taken on our site, or that they in any way involve our patients.

“All colleagues have a DBS and reference check prior to starting work with us and we constantly review our processes to ensure they are as robust as they can be.”

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Gill, who pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images, was sentenced to 10 months of custody suspended for two years, with a rehabilitation requirement.

He was also placed on a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for eight years and was warned that if he breaches his suspended sentence or commits another offence he will go to prison.

The defendant claimed to police that he had probably clicked on a “dodgy email”, had not read details of the movies, had used the Dark Web out of curiosity and when he had seen indecent images he had deleted them.