York medical worker struck off for child abuse pictures
A health worker caught with more than 1,100 indecent images of children has been struck off.
The downloads by Robin Fegan, 57, featured children as young as six, a Health & Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) hearing was told. Fegan had received a three-year community order at York Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to making indecent images. The disciplinary panel said his offences were "very serious". Operating department practitioner Fegan, from Haxby in York, had been arrested by police in January 2018, the panel heard. He was suspected of uploading 33 indecent images of children to a photo-sharing website in 2016. Fegan, who also went by the first name Robbie, pleaded guilty in March 2020 to two counts of making indecent images of children. A report presented to the hearing said 1,149 images had also been downloaded to Fegan's electronic devices. 'Protect the public' Explaining why the striking off order was needed, the disciplinary panel said Fegan's repeated behaviour over two years involved a "large volume of indecent images of children". It added that "any lesser sanction would be insufficient to protect the public". In a letter, Fegan, who didn't attend the hearing, said he hadn't worked since his arrest in 2018 and had lost friends and future opportunities. He denied having a sexual interest in children, saying: "It's just a completely stupid phase". Fegan, who was put on the sex offenders register for five years, added: "My home and the village in which I reside will be under threat very soon and, more importantly, my reputation shattered. "A reputation nurtured over 30 years both in the Army and civilian life." The HCPTS would not confirm where Fegan had been working at the time of the offences. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. Related Internet Links Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service