A STUDENT paediatric nurse was today (Wednesday) banned from working with children when he was sentenced for possessing sick pictures and films of youngsters being abused. Oliver Seymour was working on a paediatric ward at Lister Hospital as part of a nurs

A STUDENT paediatric nurse was today (Wednesday) banned from working with children when he was sentenced for possessing sick pictures and films of youngsters being abused.

Oliver Seymour was working on a paediatric ward at Lister Hospital as part of a nursing degree when he was arrested for making and possessing indecent images of children.

The 22-year-old was told by a judge that no one in their right mind would let him work with children again.

Prosecuting, Ruth Field told St Albans Crown Court that Seymour was arrested on May 2 while on duty at Lister.

On the way to the police station, he told officers "you will find stuff" when they informed him they would be examining his computer equipment, but in two police interviews he answered all questions "no comment".

However, at a magistrates' court hearing last month he admitted 10 counts of making indecent images and two counts of possessing indecent images.

Miss Field said when Seymour's computer was examined, more than 400 indecent pictures were found along with 32 movies of children being abused.

They included one film at level five - the most serious and explicit category of child pornography - along with 16 films and four still images at level four and three films at level three.

The remaining images were at levels one and two with the most - 427 - being in the least serious level one category.

Defending, Russell Robinson said his client was "desperate" for help to stop him downloading child porn.

"I think the fact that there are relatively few images of the most serious category means that this is a problem that has been caught early," he added.

"He would be very grateful to have counselling or any rehabilitative input."

He told Judge Martin Griffith that Seymour, who wept during the short hearing, was two years into a three-year nursing degree.

"That, I have been informed, has now come to an end," said Mr Robinson.

"It is clear that he will never be able to work in nursing at all.

"He was very keen to stress to me that in his time as a student nurse, he has never been left alone with a child. He has always been advised by a senior nurse practitioner."

Seymour, of Cheffins Road, Hoddesdon, was sentenced to a three-year supervision order. Judge Griffith told him: "How on earth you can be a nurse working in paediatrics and have images like this on your computer beats me.

"You were working in the health service with children. Quite how that is supposed to be squared with the images of children being abused in the most base way that I have seen on your computer, it is impossible to say."

He added: "For whatever reason you have done this, you have ruined your degree course. You will take part in a sex offender's rehabilitation programme and be disqualified from working with children.

"Although, I think no one who was in their right mind on hearing of this sentence would let you anywhere near children anyway."

The judge also ordered the destruction of the computer equipment and for Seymour to pay �250 costs.