MD sentenced 21/2 years for child pornography

A Lasalle cardiologist has been sentenced to 21/2 years in prison for possession of child pornography.

Ashim Verma, 36, a married father of one young child who had previously pleaded guilty in Ontario Court in Windsor, will also have to submit a DNA sample and will be placed on the sexual offender registry for 20 years.

Verma was arrested in August 2018 after Lasalle police and OPP executed a search warrant on his residence.

Court heard earlier that police seized more than 2,000 images and 157 videos containing child pornography during the raid, which was the result of a seven-month online investigation by the OPP’S child sexual exploitation unit and digital forensics unit.

The sentence was a joint submission by the defence and the Crown.

Justice Gregory Campbell also placed restrictions on Verma having contact with children under the age of 16 unless under the supervision of his wife, but did not prohibit contact with his own child.

Defence lawyer Andrew Bradie told the court Thursday that Verma had downloaded an app on his phone and joined a chat group where other users shared images of child pornography.

“He viewed the material out of curiosity,” Bradie said, adding he eventually tried to delete the app from his phone.

Campbell told Verma he should have recognized early on that the material harmed children.

Before he was sentenced, Verma told the court, “I’m very sorry that this happened.”

Assistant Crown attorney Jennifer Holmes said the case “was very sad for everyone involved.”

“Dr. Verma needs to be credited for his plea of guilt,” Holmes said, adding that we also “need to protect our children.”

Outside the courthouse, Bradie told reporters, “(It’s a) very tragic case in a lot of ways.

“He had a lot to offer the community, and hopefully he’ll be given that opportunity in the future,” Bradie said, adding that Verma’s family remains very supportive.

“To be in his position as he then was, and to go into a penitentiary — I can’t imagine it being anything but a nightmare.”

The doctor had his privileges at Windsor Regional Hospital revoked Nov. 1, 2018. Once released from prison, the College of Physicians and Surgeons will decide if he can continue to practise.