NICHOLAS GRANT FROM CANTERBURY SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AT ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS

In August 2005, a serious case involving a high-ranking official from Canterbury came to light when Nicholas Grant, a general manager at the Royal College of Physicians, appeared before the court to face charges related to child pornography. Grant, aged 52 and residing on Tyler Hill Road in Blean, near Canterbury, pleaded guilty to a total of 24 charges that involved the creation and possession of indecent images of children. These offenses spanned a period from January 2002 to June 2004, highlighting a prolonged period of illicit activity.

Following the investigation, law enforcement officers executed a search at Grant’s residence, where they confiscated various computer devices, including a laptop and a Filofax. The latter contained eight black-and-white photographs depicting young girls exposing themselves, which added to the evidence against him. The police also conducted a search at his workplace, the Royal College of Physicians, specifically targeting his computer used in his capacity as a general manager for the Joint Committee for Higher Medical Training in London.

During the search, officers discovered a disturbing collection of digital images. It was reported that approximately 718 images were found on Grant’s devices, with many of these having been deleted, although 132 remained accessible and classified as “live.” The evidence included a hard drive containing 300 images categorized at level one, three images at level two, four at level four, and a single image at level five, which is considered the most serious category. Further investigation revealed that Grant had used an Egg credit card to subscribe to various adult sites, from which he downloaded numerous illicit images onto his home computer.

Prosecutor Dominic Webber explained to Canterbury Crown Court that Grant was unsure of his motives but admitted that he derived pleasure from viewing such material, particularly images of girls aged between eight and 12. At one point, Grant’s computer contained as many as 200 images, but he became disgusted with himself and made efforts to delete them, although these attempts were unsuccessful. He also acknowledged that some of the images were stored on floppy disks at his workplace, the Royal College of Physicians.

Throughout the proceedings, Grant’s defense, represented by Fiona Moore-Graham, highlighted his lack of prior convictions and presented character references from colleagues at the Royal College. Despite this, Judge Timothy Nash expressed deep concern, remarking that Grant’s references were among the best he had seen in a long time, which underscored the tragedy of the case.

In sentencing Grant, Judge Nash emphasized the gravity of his actions and the inherent evil of the material involved. He condemned Grant for bringing shame upon himself, his family, and the Royal College of Physicians, describing his conduct as unforgivable. The judge acknowledged that Grant was aware of his problematic behavior and expressed hope that he was motivated to seek help. However, he stressed that any treatment must be carefully supervised to ensure proper rehabilitation. As part of his sentence, Grant was ordered to serve a three-year community rehabilitation order, attend the Thames Valley Sex Offenders Treatment Programme, remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years, and pay costs amounting to £700.