Paul Lipscombe, 51, who worked at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, was sentenced for a total of 34 crimes against six teenage girls at Leicester Crown Court after pleading guilty.

The crimes, which included rape and sexual assault, were committed between September 2023 and April 2024.

Superintendent Helen Schofield said: ‘The extent of Lipscombe's offending is truly shocking. This man has been grooming young girls online and after gaining their trust he has abused that trust in the most horrendous ways imaginable.'

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust said: ‘We would like to praise the girls and their families, as well as Leicestershire Police, for their bravery and courage in bringing Paul Lipscombe to justice for these horrendous crimes.

‘Following Lipscombe's arrest in April 2024, we immediately suspended him before dismissing him from his administrative, non-patient facing role in June 2024.

‘The trust has and will continue to support Leicestershire Police with its investigations and has carried out its own internal review - nothing has been identified at this stage to indicate this individual's criminal activity was committed as part of their role.'

A police investigation into the scale of Liscombe's crimes continues.