A BURNLEY nurse with 27 years’ experience has been struck off the medical register by his professional watchdog after he was caught with child porn.

Locum David Hartley Haigh, then working for an agency as a theatre nurse at Tameside General Hospital, was arrested in November 2012 after being caught with a string of indecent videos, the Nursing & Midwifery Council was told.

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Haigh, who was employed by Pulse Staffing, confessed to having low-level images of girls aged nine to 14 on his iPad and that he had received similar material from others via the internet.

But when police conducted a search of his computer they found further, more hardcore, videos and examples of extreme pornography, the council heard.

When he appeared at Burnley Crown Court, Haigh — then 52 and of Brunshaw Road — admitted three charges of making indecent images and possession of extreme porn, including 21 images of bestiality involving women.

He was sentenced to a four-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and given a five-year sexual offences prevention order. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for seven years.

Rory Mulchrone, for the prosecuting authority, said Haigh had since not engaged with the disciplinary proceedings, not providing any information regarding whether he had any insights into his offending.

He also told the panel that there was no evidence from Haigh, who did not attend the London hearing to suggest that his behaviour had been remedied.

Mr Mulchrone said that there was a clear associated exploitation of children in Haigh’s viewing of the images, which included material from the lowest to highest degrees of seriousness.

Panel chairman Graham Park, who sat with lay member Ian Jennings and council member Diane Corderoy, said that a striking-off order was the only correct sanction for bringing the nursing profession into disrepute.

Mr Park said: “The panel considered that Mr Haigh’s actions were a significant departure from the standards expected of a registered nurse, and are fundamentally incompatible with him remaining on the register.”