Broadmoor denies child porn ring

Broadmoor hospital has launched an investigation into how pornographic videos entered a rehabilitation ward.

The high security hospital, which houses Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, has rejected allegations that a child pornography ring is in operation.

Claims made by a Sunday newspaper that patients at Broadmoor are harbouring hundreds of porn videos were described as "untrue" yesterday.

The chief executive Alan Franey admitted that during routine searches staff sometimes found unacceptable material but said: "There is no evidence at all of a child pornography ring at Broadmoor Hospital ... we are a secure environment and that is why we have policies which cover searching patients and their rooms.''

A spokesman confirmed that two videos seized during a search of patients' rooms on Friday night contained pornographic material, although he refused to release any details.

The search was conducted following allegations of child abuse and a pornography supply at Ashworth hospital in Merseyside. The videos at Broadmoor were discovered a rehabilitation ward, where the patients are allowed to own possessions denied to other patients, and where the ratio of staff to patients is relatively low. Their discovery led to the seizure of several hundred videos and a number of computer disks from the 30-patient same ward.