Judge is sad paedophile won't be able to keep his job as a midwife

I think the judge just meant it was sad someone who would have been a valued member of society chose to go down a path of (frankly) depraved behaviour. Certainly he didn't mean midwifery was losing out because he is now on the sex offenders register.

However the other point about accepting this wife's glowing testimonial is that it appears to be just the one person speaking in his defence. Was there a queue of work mates sticking up for him? Or have they all backed into a quiet corner to whisper about how they always thought there was something "a bit off" about him?

And if anyone else had concerns they jolly well should have voiced them at the trial.

In fairness sometimes the judges summing up gives a chance to let rip when a person has been given the benefit of the doubt by a jury and gives comfort to relatives.

IIRC there was a horrific murder where for some reason the jury decided it was manslaughter even though there was extensive evidence of pre-planning including digging the grave in advance yet he was convicted of manslaughter. I think the judge wasn't impressed.

The wife's behaviour is so incomprehensible and the man so clearly a complete bastard that I wonder if there may be some coercion at play

It's just a way of saying 'you absolute bell end'. It's not sympathetic. The judge is just saying there's no positives about the behaviour. I don't think women are treated well by the judicial system or the healthcare system but this judge's summing up is not an example of that (though as others have said the whole judge's moralistic statement at the end is a bit questionable).

shouldn't have **

There are many roles in which men can support women and midwifery is very competitive. If a male takes a spot within a ward and a women in labour refuses his help there may not be enough staff to cover her. And females DO have the right to be seen by a women. Yet a mans need to be part of womens birth is more important than having enough female midwives on the floor. Why?

There are certain jobs that should be left to women, not because of sexism reasons but because the female patient should always be centred. There should have to a question of "can this male do this?' and it safe guards the females from the creeps that manage to sneak in.

We now have male breast feeding consultants. Why? What experience can a male offer a women having trouble breast feeding? Most breast feeding consultants have breast fed for years themselves, why the fuck would a man want to discuss in the very very intimate process and feelings of breast feeding .... oh wait..

Fuck off to that judge. The only tragedy is that he was allowed near woman and babies in the first place.

No mother wants the first person to touch her baby turn out to be a paedophile.

Labour and birth are a time of incredible vulnerability for woman and babies, and this man should never be allowed anywhere near them.

I will always be highly suspicious of any man that chooses to work with vulnerable woman and children.

That's not very fair. Many men will choose this work for the right reasons. Can men not feel a straightforward desire to support people, some of whom are female, in difficult circumstances?
Many friends of mine have had male midwives and couldn't speak highly enough of them.

A PP I can’t find now said she was going to make a safeguarding referral regarding the partner. I would also like to do this. It looks as thought the local authority is Wandsworth and they have an online portal and email address for their MASH hub. Can anyone confirm that this is the correct local authority? Hopefully it will atleast flag up her behaviour if it isn’t already being monitored

Imagine being one of the women that had him as a midwife. When men started training as midwifes and nursery nurses I naively gave them the benefit of the doubt. But in both professions despite the relatively tiny number of men there have been multiple convictions for sex crimes. I read this yesterday and it made me feel sick that he would have been with women in labour and performing intimate examinations. I don’t think men can every understand how very vulnerable you are when pregnant and in labour.

It is time that men working in professions where they have access to vulnerable children and women automatically get a custodial sentence for sex crimes.

A man who likes watching animals in pain and seeing torture did not enter a profession where he would get to see vulnerable women in pain to help or support them. Imagine knowing that someone who coached you through pain was probably enjoying it!! I think his motives for his career haven’t even been considered by the judge. Imagine the women who’s babies have been delivered by this man and how they must be feeling and the worry that he may have had access the their babies.
And for his disgusting parter, I hope she is no longer able to work with these vulnerable women and children any longer, she clearly lacks the moral code needed for the job she does. I would not want her around me or my baby.

Does anyone know if the CPS plan to progress a review to seek a custodial sentence?

This attitude is shown across sex crime in the Criminal Justice System. It's all very odd.

Outside of the London middle classes who seem to think criminals are some sort of victim, pretty much everyone wants to see much longer sentences for sex criminals. And all criminals. And yet the Criminal Justice system doesn't agree. Why is that?
Have a read of this.
researchingreform.net/2017/02/07/judge-sentences-for-paedophiles-too-lenient/

Why is there such a blind spot in our system?:
Paedophiles and rapist sentencing is laughable. Why is that?
We still haven't managed to set up a Commission on paedophilia despite being promised. Rape gangs in the North were allowed to operate with impunity for years.
Pay attention to sentencing whenever you see a (small) story on a rape case. Let alone the larger cases e.g. the London cabbie who raped numerous people and was let out early until public outcry ensured he went back to jail. Most of the criminals don't have this outcry and get out very quickly.
Note this is not political as no party is seeking to look at this.
All very odd.

Still, it's such a shame this poor man could no longer be a midwife eh? Poor luv.

I read it differently too, his awful conduct has left the profession a person down, such a waste of Nhs resources training him when his behaviour was so abominable.

I will always be highly suspicious of any man that chooses to work with vulnerable woman and children.

Same here.

child porn and STRANGULATION!

I put the strangulation in capitals not because its anymore severe than the child porn but because a midwife likely has to deal with issues of accidental strangulation by umbilical cord as part of their job. If they get off on watching the life drain away from someone how on earth is it a loss that they are not in a job where they need to revive someone from strangulation.

What is wrong with these judges.

I wonder very much how the wife could 'support' him. There is one reason that springs to mind - I hope they have thoroughly investigated her as well. I wouldn't want her around my children.

What a shocking and disturbing case.

Agree entirely, Purgatory, that there's nothing 'unfortunate' about this man's choice of career.

'they need someone who is caring and listens and they want to feel safe with the midwife'

'They' is the pregnant women who attracted him to the role. He was attracted by the vulnerability of the patients.

Abusers and predators will always find the weak points of any system and ways to access vulnerable victims.

Agree with most on here (except for the whataboutery comment).

I'm going to make a complaint about the sentence. It may be that it won't be accepted as I can see that only some sex crimes against children are covered.
[email protected]

I'm also going to raise a safeguarding issue with the local authority and hospital involved about his partner working with babies in their neo natal unit (if they still are). Normally I don't believe in "visiting the sins of paedophiles" on their partners. But in this case she's actively managed to keep him from serving his sentence because???? In my view that judgement makes her an unfit person to be anywhere near children or vulnerable women. If she's so in thrall to him it doesn't bear thinking about what she would do if he requested photos of children etc? There need to be consequences for such a massive safeguarding and moral fail.

Judge is sad that paedophile won't be able to keep his job as a midwife

Just that. I can’t add anything or comment on it. I’m just staring at it.

I'd be more worried that he had access to my baby tbh.
I had a twin birth and had a male consultant. He acted as Lead but let the midwife and registrar to the work at the coal face. I felt utterly comfortable with him being there as he was doing his job. Males can work in this field and not make women feel uncomfortable. When something like this happens it makes it harder for the hard working professionals who love the work of delivering babies.

“Sympathy which is never extended to female defendants.”

Rubbish. It is frequently extended, just as inappropriately as in this guy’s case, to female defendants.

I’ve read some shocking sentencing speeches where it’s been very clear that the judge has bent over backwards to show sympathy and leniency to women; it’s definitely not a one way street.

One that springs to mind was a woman who put her stiletto heel through a guy’s eye socket in a night club. She got a small fine with a victim surcharge whilst he was scarred for life and nearly lost the eye. I’ve seen others (several, and unfortunately becoming more common) involving women glassing male and female victims.

It’s usually written off as a “one-off.” It was “out of character” and “unlikely to happen again.” The defendant is “of previously good character” and it would be “unfair to ruin a promising career” by giving them a custodial sentence.

It’s rare now to see meaningful punishments given to people of either sex for acts that would, 20-30 years ago, have got you serious time inside.