A senior paramedic trawled the Internet for 'abhorrent' child abuse images - using such search terms as 'baby boy rape' and 'kid sex'.

Peter Burningham, 39, of Cumberland Road, Reading, admitted two counts of distributing indecent videos of children and three counts of making indecent images in Categories A, B and C.

Today (May 31), Reading Crown Court heard graphic details of his offending, which spanned the period between August 2020 and December 2022.

Burningham led an outwardly respectable life as a team leader employed by the London Ambulance Service (LAS).

But, in private, he harboured extreme fantasies, downloading hundreds of images depicting the abuse of children - some younger than a year old.

In a digital message exchange read out in court, Burningham suggested to another paedophile that they take up work at a maternity ward so that they could abuse the babies there.

In another exchange, the defendant suggested gaining access to children by volunteering at Romanian orphanages.

A psychologist who prepared a report on Burningham was unable to establish whether he had a sexual interest in children - and the defendant has himself claimed his actions were the result of drug abuse.

But Judge Alan Blake told him: "Despite your protestations, it seems to me, from the material available on your devices, that there was some sexual interest in children."

The extent of the offending came to light in January 2023. Following a raid on Burningham's house, police found 260 Category A images of children on electronic devices belonging to him.

His Internet search history showed that he had been actively browsing for highly illegal material, using such phrases as 'incest', 'baby boy rape', and 'kid sex'.

Judge Blake said: "We're dealing here with very young children, some aged as young as one to three.

"They are the most abhorrent images. They are images of children whose lives are physically and mentally ruined by sustained abuse."

He added: "In some of those images, there is evidence of discernible pain or distress."

Jailing Burningham for two years and four months, the judge described his behaviour as 'destructive and deeply concerning'.

He remarked that the defendant's depraved secret life contrasted with his career as a dedicated paramedic, praised for his work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He will serve half his sentence on licence, and will be made to register as a sex offender upon release.

Pauline Cranmer, chief paramedic at the LAS, said: "We absolutely condemn the criminal behaviour of Mr Burningham.

"While Mr Burningham’s criminal charges relate to his behaviour outside of work and did not involve our patients, he was dismissed from our Service as soon as his criminality came to light and was referred to the relevant regulatory body."