UK: Man charged with 84 child rapes and sexual assaults

55-year- old man has been charged with  84 child rapes and sexual assaults alleged to have been carried out over the course of three decades at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in the UK.

Paul Farrell, who worked as a porter at the world-renowned children’s hospital since the 1980s, is accused of 84 sex offences, 52 of them relating to children.

The 55-year-old was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in January, having been accused of grooming children he met through his work at Great Ormond Street Hospital before sexually abusing them.

These include 20 counts of sexually assaulting a child younger than 13, paying for sexual activities with a child, and creating indecent images of children, Scotland Yard said.

He is alleged to have committed these offences against seven individuals between 1985 and 2018.

Farrell, who is from Camden, north London, was sacked as soon as the allegations against him were made.

A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed to MailOnline Farrell was arrested in January 2020 and has been charged with a total of 84 offences.

According to Scotland Yard: ‘The charges relate to seven victims, and alleged offences committed between 1985 and 2018.

‘He is in custody, and is next due to appear at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, 27 November for a plea and directions hearing.

‘Farrell was arrested on January 16, 2020, and first appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court upon charge. The ongoing investigation is being led by officers from the Central North Command Unit safeguarding team.’

A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital also told MailOnline: ‘These are truly awful charges and we know that our hospital community, including our patient families, will have concerns or questions.

”Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, we cannot go into the details of the case, but we can confirm that the individual who has been charged was dismissed from the Trust and we are continuing to work closely with the police.

‘Safeguarding children is fundamental to the care we provide. Our policies are in line with national best practice and include swift processes for managing concerns about staff when they are raised.

‘If anyone is concerned by what they have read in the media, the NSPCC have a helpline available on 0800 101 996 or email [email protected].

‘As this is an ongoing police investigation, we are not able to say anything further at this current time for legal reasons.’