Matthew Isles

Matthew Isles, a former ear, nose and throat specialist consultant at Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford, has been sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison for a series of serious sexual offences. Isles, who was arrested in February, developed an addiction to sex and pornography that led him to engage in explicit online communications and possess vast amounts of illegal material.

According to court proceedings at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, Isles communicated in a sexually explicit manner on the social media platform Bad Guys with an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old boy. This interaction resulted in his arrest on 10 February at his home in Whiston, where officers seized his devices and discovered approximately 90,000 indecent images and videos of children. Further investigation revealed that Isles had also committed acts of voyeurism and distributed indecent images of children. Among the disturbing findings was a video referred to as a 'paedophile manual', highlighting the severity of his involvement in child sexual exploitation material.

Staffordshire Police confirmed that Isles had been employed at the hospitals until his arrest, after which he was removed from his position. The case underscores the hidden dangers posed by individuals in positions of trust within the medical profession. Prosecutor statements during the trial emphasised the scale of the material, with over 90,000 files indicating a prolonged engagement in these activities. Defence arguments reportedly touched on Isles' addiction, but the court deemed the offences too grave for leniency.

The sentencing in August reflects ongoing efforts by local authorities to combat child sexual offences in North Staffordshire. As reported by Stoke-on-Trent Live, this case is part of a broader roundup of individuals jailed that month, serving as a stark reminder of the consequences of such crimes.