A NURSE caught with "revolting" films of young boys being raped has been kicked out of the profession.

Ian Bunting was working in Durham when police seized his laptop and found the footage.

Officers from the Durham Constabulary searched Bunting's house in October 2013, and found seven films, showing boys being attacked.

Bunting had told police he had downloaded the films out of curiosity, and that he had only watched them once.

He added that he and his male partner had parted after he downloaded them.

Bunting was given a 12 month prison sentence suspended for 12 months, ordered to sign on to the Sex Offender Register for ten years, and placed under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council found that his actions brought the profession into disrepute, and were incompatible with remaining a nurse.

Striking him from the register, NMC panel chairman Clive Powell said: “Mr Bunting is a mental health nurse, and therefore should have been aware of the long term impact that such child abuse can have on young children.

“Mr Bunting's charges involve the exploitation of young children.

“He has since changed his version of events and now denies that he was responsible for downloading the videos onto his computer and places blame on his partner.

“The only sanction which would be sufficient to satisfy the public interest in this case was a striking-off order.”

Bunting, who was not present at the hearing in central London, was struck from the register, and handed an 18-month interim order.

The 55-year-old, of Rock Terrace, New Brancepeth, near Durham, was convicted of one charge of making an indecent photograph of children at Teesside Crown Court on May 29 last year.

Joanne Kidd, prosecuting at the time, said analysis of the laptop showed the videos were downloaded in February 2013 and were in a "frequently played" category.

Miss Kidd said in a series of interviews, Bunting's stance "vacillated somewhat", and told a probation officer that he thought he had deleted them.

She said the Crown did not accept claims that he and his male partner parted in the aftermath of the downloading, and he had watched them only once.

Sentencing, Judge Howard Crowson said: “These images are revolting of course.

“The young people involved are people who have been violated in the most awful way, but not by you.

“Your crime is to have downloaded and watched them.”