LONDON AMBULANCE SERVICE PARAMEDIC JAILED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGES
A senior paramedic, Peter Burningham, 39, of Cumberland Road, led an outwardly respectable life as a team leader employed by the London Ambulance Service.However, during a court hearing on May 31, it was revealed that he had a depraved secret life involving the downloading and possessing of hundreds of images depicting child abuse, some of which involved children younger than one year old.
The court heard graphic details of his offending, which occurred between August 2020 and December 2022.
Burningham admitted to two counts of distributing indecent videos of children and three counts of making indecent images in Categories A, B, and C.
Despite his claims of drug-induced actions and a psychologist’s inability to confirm a sexual interest in children, the judge, Alan Blake, stated: "Despite your protestations, it seems to me, from the material available on your devices, that there was some sexual interest in children." Evidence was further revealed following a raid on his house in January 2023, where police found 260 Category A images of children on his electronic devices.
His internet search history included phrases like 'incest', 'baby boy rape', and 'kid sex'.
Judge Blake described the images as "abhorrent," emphasizing that they involved very young children, some as young as one to three years old, who had been physically and mentally abused, with some images showing discernible pain or distress.
Burningham was sentenced to two years and four months in prison, with half of the sentence to be served on license.
He is also required to register as a sex offender upon release.
The London Ambulance Service quickly dismissed him, and the chief paramedic emphasized that his criminal behavior was outside of work and did not involve patients.
However, they condemned his actions and stated he was dismissed once his criminality was known.
