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

[PurgatoryOfPotholes]

A man was found to have hundreds of child abuse images, along with porn showing strangulation, and images showing sexual abuse of animals. He escaped a custodial sentence after his partner stood by him and wrote a letter to the judge defending him.

So far, not unusual.

But this bit is. Judge's comments:
'This is a real tragedy for so many people,' he said.

'You qualified as a midwife and will never be able to work in this role again.

It is a shame, not just for yourself but for the community as a whole as I understand there is a desperate shortage of midwives.'

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9989159/amp/Male-midwife-39-caught-stash-400-indecent-images-children.html

This judge thinks potential patients (women and newborn babies) are losing out on this man's services? The tragedy is that he was not caught sooner, and I feel very sorry for all women treated by him before now. If they had had an informed choice in the matter, they would not have wanted a man who masturbated to the torture of children, doing the new baby checks on their babies.

Poor fella.

So unfair.

(Fucks sake).

Not about the paedophile as such. More about the waste of his life.

I take it to mean that first, it is another blow against decent men working in these roles, and secondly, he was good enough to qualify as a midwife, a shortage profession, and he fucked it up by being a sick pervert so on those scores, it is indeed a shame.

I question that he could ever have been "good enough". Midwifery and nursing aren't roles that consist of dispensing drugs. Making women feel safe and respected is intrinsic to the role.

How many women in labour felt the man who secretly masturbated to the torture of children, and the strangulation of women was somehow off? How many women felt uncomfortable when he did cervical checks on them?

If you're interested, this is what he said about his degree 11 years ago. So he talked the talk. But how did patients feel about him?

This judge thinks potential patients (women and newborn babies) are losing out on this man's services?

I didn't read it that way so much as 'now our desperately needed midwives are now one less because of you, you loser'. Less individual, more general.

How on earth can anyone stand with him and write a glowing letter of support?

I find that almost as disturbing as his crimes.

I also read it as: "you moron, everyone is losing out, including yourself, because you are despicable".

A lot of people such as this are very clever and careful to say/do all the right things to make people feel safe and respected.

Bleurgh.

Its SO competitive to get onto a midwifery course. If there is a broader shame than the children, women and animals who were abused to provide wank fodder for this arsehole, then it is that the midwifery profession was deprived of someone who could have taken his place on the course, and not turned out to be a nonce.

I agree with you, OP. I think some of the interpretation on this thread is very generous. The key (IMO) is the "not just for yourself" wording. No, it's not a shame for him; it's a shame for all the children whose abuse he facilitated and the new mothers and babies he touched (mothers whose birth experiences will now be tainted). I'm tired of judges offering sympathy to male defendants as though it's unfortunate happenstance that they've (for example) committed statutory rape, strangled a woman to death, downloaded a load of images of children being raped. Sympathy which is never extended to female defendants.

"Butler had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of a child and two counts of possessing extreme pornographic images."

He didn't just view, he MADE indecent images. I don't know if that means IT wizardry or actual abuse of a child to take the photos. Utterly appalling.

He got one thing right in that interview posted above "women want to feel SAFE with the midwife".

I have always been against male midwives, not that I think they are all paedophiles but they are men. I would never agree to have one.

Oh, and he met his wife on the neonatal unit. Is she a nurse I wonder? IMO her glowing letter of support disqualifies her from her job.
I need to get off to work but I am thinking of a complaint to the hospital and the NMC about her too.

I cant believe anyone would either be sorry he can no longer access vulnerable women , or write a letter defending him.

Wtf.

Vile vile man who should be rotting in jail right now. I'm assuming we cant make any assumptions about why someone would let him off..

@IndecentCakes

I take it to mean that first, it is another blow against decent men working in these roles, and secondly, he was good enough to qualify as a midwife, a shortage profession, and he fucked it up by being a sick pervert so on those scores, it is indeed a shame.

They say that paedophiles insert themselves in jobs where they have access to children. Rather than ruin anything, he probably chose that job for his own reasons. Shame is he was ever in it to begin with. Probably makes the skin crawl on the women whose labour he was involved with who know a predator was doing it for his own kicks.

He’s obviously guilty of disgusting crimes, but I think you’re really twisting the judges comments there.

I take it to mean that he think it’s a waste that this man could have done some good in the world through his role instead of what he chose to do.

I read it as quite sympathetic too, we may be short of midwives, but good fucking riddance to this one. I hope the women that were entrusted into his care get the support they need.

He didn't just view, he MADE indecent images. I don't know if that means IT wizardry or actual abuse of a child to take the photos. Utterly appalling.

“Making”, in the context of images of child sexual abuse means downloading or forwarding the images. I think what you’re describing would be “producing” indecent images.

I wonder how his wife could sit down and write him a letter so glowing that it saved him from prison. I would want him in prison for as long as possible if I was her. I mean, she works with mothers and babies too, you’d think she more than anyone would have some sort of disgust about this.

@Kanaloa

I wonder how his wife could sit down and write him a letter so glowing that it saved him from prison. I would want him in prison for as long as possible if I was her. I mean, she works with mothers and babies too, you’d think she more than anyone would have some sort of disgust about this.

Yes I thought it odd as she works in the neo natal unit by the sound of that article. To be married to him I wouldn't expect it to tarnish her career at all, but to actively go out of her way to write a letter to keep him out of prison, she should be fired too.

The judge is sorry the NHS is down a qualified midwife because of this man’s crimes. The real shocker is the partner writing a letter of support. I would not want her near patients.

Making”, in the context of images of child sexual abuse means downloading or forwarding the images.

It says in the DM report that he was caught and traced when he posted some to a social media site.

I read this and wondered about the wife.
We all know people can be blind to partners faults but this seems a step further, would it not affect her job?

The bigger shock is that his partner stood by him - how could you even contemplate it?!

I do think the judges comments are off though, this one to:

There is a world out there in which women and girls are forced into performing extreme acts that are not only degrading but are painful and dangerous

Feels like it’s really underplaying the horror of being violently raped and abused.

He didn't just view, he MADE indecent images. I don't know if that means IT wizardry or actual abuse of a child to take the photos.

In law, you 'make' an image whenever you download a copy of it.

I will always be highly suspicious of any man that chooses to work with vulnerable woman and children. This individual has appeared to play the long game to gain access to his potential victims. I feel sorry for his blinkered wife and hope she comes to her senses soon. I also hope that he doesn’t have any children or has any plans to reproduce.