A nurse from Ipswich has been given a suspended sentence for viewing images of child abuse. 

The National Crime Agency (NCA) was alerted to 43-year old Anand Chinnathamby after he uploaded 10 indecent images of children to his Gmail account. 

Chinnathamby was the deputy ward manager at a mental health unit in Colchester. 

His account was closed down and reported to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the US, which referred it to the NCA.

Chinnathamby was arrested at his Ipswich home in April 2022 and officers seized his phone. 

Despite data having been deleted from the phone around the time his Gmail account was disabled, officers found file paths for more than 100 indecent images of children that had previously been saved on the device. 

Officers also recovered evidence that proved Chinnathamby had control of the offending account and named the email address linked to it after a ward he had previously worked on. 

He pleaded guilty to the three counts of making indecent images of children that he was charged with and was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, at Ipswich Crown Court. 

Chinnathamby was also dismissed from his job at the care centre. 

Daniel Waywell, from the NCA, said: "This case shows the important role that tech companies play in supporting the prosecution of those with a sexual interest in children. 

"Chinnathamby was trusted to protect the welfare of vulnerable people while hiding the face he was actively viewing child abuse material. 

"The Google report was key to NCA investigators being able to identify him and ensure he was brought to justice. 

"The NCA is committed to ensuring those who fuel the demand for this material and contribute to the re-victimisation of children are held to account."