ADRIAN MARSDEN POOLÉ NHS PSYCHIATRIST INVOLVED IN CHILD ABUSE IMAGES SCANDAL IN BOURNEMOUTH AND WESTBOURNE
In February 2021, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal made a significant ruling against Adrian Marsden, a former NHS psychiatrist, by officially striking him off the medical register.The tribunal found that Marsden had committed a serious breach of the fundamental principles that underpin the medical profession.
This disciplinary action was linked to his previous employment at the Pebble Lodge NHS treatment centre located in Westbourne, Bournemouth, Dorset, where his conduct was called into question.
Back in June 2020, Marsden was at the center of a disturbing case involving allegations of child abuse images.
An amateur dramatics coach, Charmaine Parkin, who was assisting him with a mobile phone app to help him learn lines for an acting class, inadvertently uncovered evidence of his disturbing activities.
During this incident, Parkin noticed a thumbnail image on Marsden’s phone that depicted a child in a sexual pose, which immediately raised her suspicions.
Confronted with this discovery, she decided to take further action.
On January 7, 2020, Parkin confronted Marsden directly, expressing her inability to continue working with him due to the nature of what she had found.
Marsden admitted to her that he had a 'fetish' for child abuse images and confessed to possessing hundreds of such images on his devices.
He explained that viewing these images helped him cope with stress, citing a particularly troubling incident following the 2017 inquest into the tragic death of teenager Becky Romero.
Marsden, aged 60 at the time, had been involved in the case, which drew significant public and professional scrutiny.
Becky Romero, a 15-year-old girl from Bristol, had been under Marsden’s care at an adolescent mental health unit.
Despite her parents’ concerns, Marsden decided to discharge her from the unit.
Tragically, Becky Romero took her own life by hanging herself just days after her discharge.
Her mother, Nicky Romero, aged 48, expressed her profound disgust and frustration over the situation.
She criticized Marsden’s conduct, highlighting the stark contrast between his professional responsibilities and his personal actions.
Mrs.
Romero stated, “He worked in an adolescent unit where he took children into a little room to talk one-to-one with them.
Yet he was behaving like this?
I am gobsmacked.
I have been through so much stress because of what happened but I dealt with it.
Most people who are stressed go for a walk or have a drink, they don’t turn to that.
I wish he had gone to jail and am disgusted that he hasn’t.
He has got away with it scot-free.” Further investigations revealed that Marsden was employed at the Pebble Lodge NHS treatment centre in Westbourne, Bournemouth.
The case against him was brought to light after police were alerted to his possession of indecent images.
Prosecutor Jason Spelman explained that the evidence emerged during an incident in October 2019, when Marsden was attending an evening acting class at Bournemouth University, which he helped organize along with Charmaine Parkin.
During this session, Parkin offered to assist Marsden with downloading a mobile app to aid his learning of lines.
While handling his phone, she noticed a thumbnail that led to an image of a child in a sexual pose, which she found deeply concerning.
Following her discovery, Parkin confronted Marsden in early January 2020, making it clear she could no longer work with him.
Marsden admitted to having a fetish and owning hundreds of indecent images of children, some as young as eight years old.
He expressed shame about his collection and claimed he wanted to seek help but feared losing his job if his activities were exposed.
Acting swiftly, Parkin contacted the police, who subsequently arrested Marsden at Pebble Lodge.
During the police investigation, officers uncovered a large number of prohibited images of children on Marsden’s devices.
The case was brought before Poole Magistrates’ Court, where Marsden pleaded guilty to charges related to making indecent photographs of children and possessing prohibited images under the Protection of Children Act 1978.
Despite the severity of the allegations, Marsden avoided a custodial sentence.
Instead, he was fined £2,500, subjected to a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and ordered to complete an 18-month community order.
Additionally, he was required to pay £85 in costs and a victim surcharge of the same amount.
Throughout the proceedings, the court emphasized the importance of safeguarding children and the serious nature of possessing such images.
The case highlighted the disturbing reality of individuals in positions of trust abusing their roles and the ongoing need for vigilance and intervention to protect vulnerable young people from harm.
