Paedophile porter who abused victims hundreds of times stole donated hospital toys to groom children
The depraved 35-year offending of a serial paedophile is unprecedented, a court heard today.
Paul Farrell, a former Great Ormond Street Hospital porter, stole toys that had been donated to sick children to groom his victims.
Farrell, who worked at the central London children’s hospital between 1994 and 2020, has admitted 69 offences against eight victims, amounting to at least 500 instances of abuse over a period of 35 years.
The 55-year-old, who did not target patients at the hospital, befriended the parents of his victims and acted as a babysitter in order to abuse their children at addresses across the capital.
The lawyer representing called him "dangerous". David Osborne, mitigating, said: "Neither I nor my learned friend has found anything like this in research."
The court also heard that Farrell, who has been in solitary confinement at HM Pentonville since late last year, was sexually abused by his grandfather between the ages of six and 10 and this led to his "sexual dysfunction".
Farrell, of Kentish Town, north London, admitted abusing two boys in the linen room at the world-famous children's hospital.
A sentencing hearing at Wood Green Crown Court heard how indecent images were found on Farrell's devices.
Paul Douglass, prosecuting, said: "The defendant had an interest in news articles about convicted paedophiles and articles and books on the sexual behaviour of children, for example, The Sexual Life of Children by Floyd Mansfield Martinson."
Images found involved two of extreme pornography, a DVD, and two other printed images found in a safe.
Two young victims came forward to reveal abuse that happened last year while Farrell was on bail.
After their older brother, known in court documents as F, disclosed he had been abused, the two younger boys (G and H) said Farrell had attacked them too.
Douglass said: "The defendant would take toys donated to Great Ormond Street and give them to G and H. Both boys, due to their ages, are vague as to dates and to the frequency of offending."
He added: "[The older brother] G could not say exactly how many times the defendant had done this or when he started. He thought that it had happened at least five times and it had gone on for about a year.
"It is a striking illustration of the complete control the defendant had over his victims that F, though abused frequently himself over a period of three years by the defendant, had no suspicion that the defendant was abusing his younger brothers, and moreover was abusing them when F was present in the same house.
"F was aware that there was a risk that the defendant would abuse his younger brothers and made sure his brothers were never alone in the house with the defendant, hence his belief that defendant had not abused them.
"But sadly he was wrong and the precaution he took did not prevent the defendant from getting to them."
In a police interview, the boy said: "I thought about talking to someone, but then I didn’t know... I was worried he would do something so I didn’t cos I was worried about what he would do to me or dad and mum, so then I was worried about what mum and dad would say to me."
The prosecutor also said H, who is now nine, had been assaulted around five to 10 times when he was seven years old.
Mr Douglass said: "H says he was feeling shocked and mad because it was his personal space.
"The defendant would tell him that what he was doing to him was their little secret. After the defendant had abused him, H said that the defendant would act all normal."
The mother of the three boys stood in the witness box and sobbed as she said her boys had suffered anger issues, increased health problems and suicidal ideation.
She said: "This has been very hard. It's turned my whole life inside down. It's like someone has put a knife in me and twisted it around.
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"I feel like I've failed as a mother. How could I have not known? Everyone says I'm the rock of the family - I am but I'm also human. I feel like I'm crumbling inside.
"This has affected us all emotionally, all in different ways, and it will do so for a very a long time. All I want now is to make sure my boys have the support they need to enjoy their lives.
"One thing I will not allow is for this to destroy my family. I will not allow this man to destroy my family. Our boys are survivors and we will get through this together."
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