An NHS medic was arrested while working at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh after he was caught downloading a horror haul of child abuse images.
Gordon Truong, 40, was on duty as a radiographer at the capital hospital when Police Scotland detectives turned up interview him about accessing the shocking material.
Truong was taken into custody and later charged with possessing more than 7,000 pictures and videos depicting the sexual abuse of female children aged between 10 and 15 years old.
The healthcare professional was found to have hundreds of images rated at Category A – the most depraved – showing young victims posing naked and being sexually abused by adults.
He admitted two charges of making or taking, and possessing indecent images of children over a near five year period when he appeared at the capital’s sheriff court on Thursday, May 28.
Radiographers works alongside doctors and are responsible for producing high-quality diagnostic X-Ray images that aid in the diagnosis of various conditions and illnesses.
The court heard police received intelligence a Category C child abuse image had been uploaded to the internet and a warrant was granted to search Truong’s home in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian.
Prosecutor Corey Laouadi said officers were allowed entry to the four-bedroom property by a family member and a laptop was seized during the raid on 5 February last year.
Mr Laouadi said: “Following further investigations by the police it was established Mr Truong was employed by NHS Scotland at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
“On February 7, 2025, detective constables attended at the Royal Infirmary where they traced Mr Truong and he was made aware of the police enquiry and he was subsequently arrested.”
The court was told three devices – a mobile phone, a laptop and a hard drive – belonging to Truong were examined during the investigation and thousands of abuse images were discovered.
Mr Laouadi said a total of 7,110 depraved pictures and 25 videos were found across all the devices including 444 at Category A – the most explicit end of the spectrum.
The court heard the material depicted female children aged between 10 and 15 years old involved in sexual posing and penetrative sexual activity.
The fiscal said one image showed “a partially clothed female sexually posing in underwear and exposing her pre-pubescent bare chest and spreading her legs wearing adult-type underwear”.
He said: “A description of a Category A image displayed a girl aged between 10 and 12 years old exposing her genitals and digitally penetrating her vagina.”
Solicitor Mark Harrower, defending, said his client had “resigned his employment shortly after his arrest” and had “cooperated fully” with the police investigation and the court process.
The lawyer said: “All [sentencing] options are available to the court and he is under no illusion to that.”
Sheriff Kenneth Campbell KC continued bail and deferred sentence for the preparation of a criminal justice social work report and a restriction of liberty order assessment to next month.
Following his arrest Truong was suspended from his position within the NHS and despite later resigning he is currently facing a disciplinary process with the Health and Care Professionals Tribunal Service.
After leaving his job with the NHS, he then set up a home removal and household and garden equipment repair business.
Truong pleaded guilty to charges of taking or making, and possessing indecent photographs of children at his home and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary between 23 October 2020 and 7 February last year.
