The nurse whose crimes shocked the NHS

A nurse who wrote disturbing stories and shared child abuse images has been struck off for life.

Rebecca Ruler, a former ward manager at Royal Bolton Hospital's adult respiratory ward, was found guilty of four charges, including the creation and distribution of indecent images of children. Ruler, formerly of Springfield Road, Coppull, received a 12-month suspended sentence in August last year.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council decided in September that Ruler should be struck off permanently. The decision shared that Ruler, who was 32-years-old at the time of the court case, accessed an internet chat room during her shifts at the hospital. The panel's decision noted: "It is noted that the IP address used to log on to the chat site where the offences were committed was traced to the NHS Trust hospital where Miss Ruler was working."

READ MORE: Depraved nurse kept hoard of sick images and shared obscene stories about children with paedophiles

After Ruler's convictions, the Nursing and Midwifery Council assembled a panel in September to decide whether she should be suspended or removed from her nursing duties. She had been employed as a nurse since 2013.

The NMC panel concluded that Ruler's crimes, which included "making and possessing indecent images of children and photographs adults performing an act of intercourse on live animals", were so grave that only a striking-off order was suitable.

In their decision to permanently remove Ruler from the nursing register, the NMC panel stated: "Miss Ruler's criminal offending has seriously undermined the public's trust and confidence in her. Her criminal offending and subsequent sentence is fundamentally incompatible with being a registered professional nurse. Only a Striking Off Order will be sufficient to protect patients, maintain public confidence in the profession and maintain professional standards."

At her hearing at Preston Crown Court last August, prosecutor Peter Barr detailed that Ruler had downloaded 151 category A child abuse images, 101 category B, and 134 category C pictures between April 2021 and April 2022. Additionally, she was found to have shared five obscene articles in an online chat with five paedophiles.

While being questioned by police, she alleged that a man she was in an online relationship with had initiated the conversation and she was using the chat to impress him. However, the court heard there was no coercion involved and it was Ruler who had sparked the discussions by expressing her sexual interest in children, it was reported.

Preston Crown Court heard that Ruler had been on the frontline of the Covid crisis, working as a ward manager at Royal Bolton Hospital. Kim Obrusik, defending, said: "She encouraged the contact from males in respect of these types of discussions as she realised this was a way to receive male attention. She was feeling that she would never gain any sexual interest from males and this is how she got that interest."

But, prosecuting, Peter Barr said: "It was she who initiated the discussions by expressing her sexual interest in children. There was no evidence of coercion."

One of the offences Ruler admitted to involved an image of "a person performing an act of intercourse with a live animal, namely dogs, which were grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character".

Judge Richard Gioserano said: "Seeking comfort from strangers is one thing but she knew these were paedophiles."

He handed Ruler a 12 month sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered her to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work. She must also complete 35 days of rehabilitation activities including a one-to-one sex offenders course, and has been made subject to a five year sexual harm prevention order and 10 years on the sex offenders' register.

The Royal Bolton Hospital has declined to comment.