A man who worked at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital as a porter is due to appear in court on Friday 27 November 2020, on 84 charges of sexual offences against children, it is reported.

Paul Farrell, aged 55, of Camden, north London, will appear at Wood Green Crown Court for a plea and directions hearing on charges that include rape, attempted rape, sexual assault of a child aged under 13 and indecent assault on a male.

The BBC and Guardian report that the charges relate to seven victims and the alleged offences occurred between 1985 and 2018. Farrell has been in custody since his arrest in January, it is reported.

Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital published the following statement on its website:

"These are truly awful charges and we know that our hospital community, including our patient families, will have concerns or questions.

"Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, we cannot go into the details of the case, but we can confirm that the individual who has been charged was dismissed from the Trust and we are continuing to work closely with the police.

"Safeguarding children is fundamental to the care we provide and our policies are in line with national best practice.

"All members of staff employed by the hospital are required to carry out safeguarding training appropriate to their role and we have a dedicated team who are the point of contact for all safeguarding concerns and referrals.

"If patients, their families or colleagues raise concerns about staff there is a clear and swift process to manage these concerns when they are raised. This includes involving the police where needed."

The abuse law team at Leigh Day solicitors, led by Leigh Day partner Alison Millar, has many years' experience in handling the cases of survivors of childhood sex offences. They can be contacted on 0207 650 1241

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