A former Hinchingbrooke Hospital nurse who was jailed after admitting logging onto an internet chatroom to watch a live broadcast of a man raping a child has been struck off by a disciplinary panel.

Michael Brown was struck off the nursing register at a hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on August 14, after a “breach of trust” by the nurse.

The 49-year-old, from St Neots, was one of six men to be sentenced after the National Crime Agency carried out an investigation into the broadcast.

Brown was sentenced to four years in prison when he appeared at Cambridge Crown Court in January, after he admitted three counts of intentionally encouraging or assisting the showing of indecent images of children.

He has also the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and has been placed on the sex offenders register.

The court made it clear that Brown had used his personal computer and had not carried out his activities using hospital equipment.

Brown, who worked at Hinchingbrooke at the time of his arrest, hid behind the usernames “perv” and “pervnpoppers”. He was logged into the chat room while the rape was streamed in 2015 by the abuser.

The NMC report stated that after considering all the evidence, and that due to the sexual nature of the crime and Brown’s actions being “so serious”, there was no option but to take his licence to practise away.

The NMC report said: “Sexual offences include accessing, viewing, or other involvement in child pornography, which involves the abuse or exploitation of a child.

“These types of offences gravely undermine patients’ and the public’s trust in the profession and seriously impact on the reputation of the professions.

“It will be a relevant factor that any conviction relating to child pornography will lead to registration as a sex offender and possible disqualification from working with children.

“The criminal courts identify degrees of seriousness in relation to child pornography offences.

“However, in the fitness to practise context, any conviction for child pornography is a matter of serious concern because it involves such a fundamental breach of trust and damages the reputation of the professions. In all cases of serious sexual misconduct, it will often be the case that the only proportionate sanction will be a striking-off order.”

The NMC imposed an 18-month interim order to allow Brown the possibility to appeal before the striking-off order comes into effect.