Pervert doctor’s stash of 1,300 child porn photos
A RESPECTED medical researcher faces jail after he yesterday admitted downloading a stash of child pornography at a Scottish hospital.
Dr Michael Boylan was caught with more than 1,000 images at his office in Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital, where he r an a research facility for the University of Dundee.
Boylan – who has been suspended from his post as manager of the hospital’s blood cancer unit – faces jail after being found with a total of 1,275 images on his devices.
This included almost 300 at the top two levels of the scale.
He even stored some of his collection, which featured girls aged from
‘Searches included top 100 pre teen’
infancy to 14 years, in a file that contained medical documents, a Dundee University staff file and a copy of his CV.
Boylan had searched the web from his office, which contained equipment used in flow cytometry – a laser-based technology used in the diagnosis of blood cancers – for sites specialising in child porn.
Fiscal depute Vicky Bell told Dundee Sheriff Court that Boylan, who stared straight ahead and showed no emotion as the description of his haul was read out, was suspended from his position after his arrest in March.
She said: ‘In March this year intelligence was received that a device connected to the internet within the accused’s office contained indecent images of children.
‘The office was secured by a four digit pin code and could only be accessed by others under the accused’s supervision as it had specialist equipment within.
‘Two computers were seized at his office, while a further search at his home saw a laptop seized.
‘The first computer in his office contained 315 indecent images of children. The second contained 67 indecent images on one hard drive, as well as search terms such as “pre teen models” and “top 100 pre teen”.
‘A second hard drive contained 442 indecent images and two still videos.
‘The laptop taken from his home contained 451 indecent images. Some of the indecent images were found in a folder called “March Tidy”. In that folder there was also a University of Dundee staff file, a CV in the name of Dr Michael Terrence Boylan and medical documents.
‘In total there were 1,275 indecent images, including 266 at level four and 26 at level five, as well as two indecent videos at level four on the definitive scale.
Boylan, 45, of Newport- on-Tay, Fife, pleaded guilty on indictment to a charge of downloading child pornography at his office and his home between August 26, 2007 and April 8, 2013.
Solicitor advocate Jim Laverty, defending, said: ‘This is obviously a serious offence and the court will require background reports.
‘He has been on bail without breaching it since March and has f ully co- operated i n trying to resolve this matter.’
Sheriff Tom Hughes deferred sentence until next month for social work background reports. He said: ‘You will now require to submit to the reporting requirements under the sexual offences legislation.’
A spokesman for the University of Dundee said: ‘We will be reviewing our IT security and systems to ensure incidents of this nature cannot happen again.’