Surgeon cleared of possessing child abuse images
GoogleA surgeon has been cleared of possessing indecent images of children after an old laptop was found in the attic of his former home.
Dr Raed Al-Mobayed, 46, of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, was accused of possessing 153 indecent images of children on his computer and three videos of extreme pornography.
A police investigation found two category A videos of children, nine category A images, 15 category B images and 129 category C images.
Dr Al-Mobayed admitted owning the laptop but denied all the charges against him and said he had no knowledge of the material.
The images were downloaded between 2008 and 2009 while Dr Al-Mobayed was working at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil.
Dr Al-Mobayed told the court that, during the time of the alleged offences, he was training as a junior doctor.
The trial heard the defendant would spend time in the "doctors' mess" while on shift - a place where doctors could eat and socialise.
Dr Al-Mobayed told the court the security for the room "was very lapse" and he would often leave his belongings and open laptop in there for periods of time.
Swansea’s Nightingale Court heard that the surgeon grew up in Gaza before leaving when he was 17 to become a doctor in the UK.
Earlier in the trial Dr Al-Mobayed told the court: "When you’re surrounded by so much pain and suffering I wanted to help in some way.
"I made it my mission to come here and do my A-levels and go into medicine."
Asked by defence barrister Nigel Fryer if he had ever had sexual interest in children, the defendant answered: "Never. I got into the profession I’m in to try and protect children."
The defendant was asked if he was responsible for the illegal images, to which he responded: “Absolutely not.”
A police investigation was launched after his former partner found the laptop in the attic of his former home and handed it to police.
Judge Paul Hobson raised a point around the delays in the case after the initial police report in 2019.
Mr Fryer told the court "to say the least it has been extremely stressful time for my client".