Great Ormond Street porter charged with 84 child sex crimes
Hospital worker accused of offences spanning 33 years
A PORTER at the worldrenowned Great Ormond Street Hospital has been charged with 84 sex offences against children.
Paul Farrell, 55, is understood to have worked at the London children’s hospital since the mid-1980s. He was sacked in January when he was arrested.
He is accused of a catalogue of alleged crimes, including the attempted rape of a child under 13 and paying for the sexual services of a child.
Farrell, of Camden, north London, has been charged with an array of serious sexual offences, said to have been committed between 1985 and 2018, in relation to seven alleged victims.
Yesterday, a Great Ormond Street Hospital spokesman described the allegations as ‘truly awful’, adding: ‘We know that our hospital community, including our patient families, will have concerns or questions.
‘ Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, we cannot go into the details of the case, but we can confirm that the individual who has been charged was dismissed from the trust and we are continuing to work closely with the police. Safeguarding children is fundamental to the care we provide. Our policies are in line with national best practice and include swift processes for managing concerns about staff when they are raised.’
Farrell was arrested in January but details of his alleged offending have only just emerged.
Among the serious offences he is accused of are 28 counts of indecent assault on a male, 20 counts of sexual assault on a child under 13 and four counts of sexual activity with a child under 13.
He is also accused of nine counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, the attempted rape of a child under 13 and a number of charges
‘People will be horrified’
in relation to the making and possession of indecent photographs of children. Specialist officers from Scotland Yard’s Central North Command safeguarding unit are investigating the alleged offences.
Farrell, who is in custody, will appear for a plea and directions hearing at Wood Green Crown Court in north London tomorrow.
A hospital source said that Farrell had started there working in the laundry department before becoming a porter. ‘He worked really hard,’ the source added. ‘He was well-liked at work. His role had a fair bit of responsibility. People will be horrified by these charges.’
Great Ormond Street Hospital was founded in 1852 with a dedication to children’s healthcare.
It says its mission is to put the ‘child first and always’ and its vision is ‘to help the sickest children with complex health needs to fulfil their potential’.
Almost a quarter of a million children visit the hospital for outpatient appointments each year.
It is the largest paediatric centre in Britain for children’s intensive care, cardiac surgery, cancer services and brain surgery.