Senior doctor who spied on girl in shower is spared jail

A FORMER doctor and senior NHS official once earning £225,000-a-year was spared jail yesterday for spying on a teenage girl as she showered, as a judge described his fall from grace as “tragic”.

Dr Jonathan Fielden, 55, received a suspended sentence at Luton Crown Court after he admitted a charge of voyeurism. The court was told his registration to practise had been suspended by the General Medical Council.

Fielden, a former deputy medical director at NHS England, admitted he watched a 15-year-old girl through a hole in the ceiling for up to 20 seconds as she showered. The offence took place at a house in Leighton Buzzard, Beds, in early 2016.

During the hearing, it was said that work pressures had led the doctor to “self-destruct”. At the time, Fielden, from Biddenham near Bedford, was paid £224,999 a year, making him one of the country’s highest paid doctors.

Kate Fortescue, prosecuting, said that after realising someone was watching her, the teenager had been left deeply shocked and, for a number of months, could not bring herself to take showers. She eventually told members of her family what had happened and Fielden was arrested.

A search of Fielden’s mobile phone showed websites that featured underage girls and child sex abuse images.

Alexandra Felix, his barrister, said: “He accepts he hit upon them while looking at adult pornography.”

Miss Fortescue said that since the incident, Fielden had taken steps to address his behaviour by having counselling.

The court was told the victim’s mother was prescribed anti-depressants when she discovered her daughter had been spied on.

Fielden was sentenced to five months in prison, suspended for 12 months and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. He must also join the sex offenders register.

Judge Richard Foster told Fielden: “It’s tragic to see you, a man of such brilliance in your career – a hardworking man at the pinnacle of your career, responsible for a substantial part of the NHS budget – to fall from grace in the way you have because of what you stupidly did.”

‘It’s tragic to see you, a man of such brilliance… fall from grace because of what you stupidly did’