Nursing and Midwifery Council determination — substantive hearing

Erasure (struck off the register)

Added to MedicWatch: 17 August 2026Report a correction

What does “struck off the register” mean?

The regulator directed removal from the register in this decision. The decision explains when the direction takes effect and any appeal provisions. Check the official register for the practitioner's current registration status.

Concerning Adam David Feary, nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 94D0883E).

Decision date: 11 August 2026 · Hearing started 11 August 2026

In plain English

The NMC's Fitness to Practise Committee found that Adam David Feary was convicted at Norwich Crown Court in August 2025 of three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child, possessing extreme pornographic images and possessing a paedophile manual. The panel found his fitness to practise impaired by reason of the convictions, that he showed limited insight, and struck him off the register.

Charges

That he, a registered nurse, was convicted at the Crown Court at Norwich on 12 August 2025 of: three counts of making indecent photographs/pseudo photographs of a child, contrary to section 1(1)(a) and 6 of the Protection of Children Act 1978; possessing a prohibited image of a child, contrary to section 62(1) and 66(2) of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009; possessing extreme pornographic image/images portraying an act of intercourse/oral sex with a dead/alive animal, contrary to section 63(1), (7)(d) and 67(3) of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008; and possessing a paedophile manual, contrary to section 69(1) and (3) of the Serious Crime Act 2015. All charges were found proved on the certificate of conviction under Rule 31(2) and (3).

Findings

The panel found the facts proved on the certificate of conviction. It noted that the conduct occurred outside Mr Feary's nursing practice and had not in the past put patients at risk, but found that he had breached the fundamental tenets of the nursing profession and brought its reputation into disrepute, the offences being specified offences under NMC guidance FtPC 2C-1. It found the conduct extremely difficult to remedy, citing a repeated pattern of behaviour and deep-seated attitudinal concerns, over 14,000 images of children in total and nearly 2,000 Category A images, and possession of a paedophile manual. The panel found very limited insight and no evidence of remorse or remediation, concluded there was a risk of repetition, and found fitness to practise impaired on both public protection and public interest grounds. It rejected no action, a caution order, conditions of practice and suspension, determined the case falls within the definition of a highest risk case, and imposed a striking-off order together with an interim suspension order for 18 months covering the appeal period.

Mitigating factors

The panel noted that Mr Feary pleaded guilty at the Crown Court, albeit at a late stage in the proceedings, and noted mitigating factors outlined by the sentencing judge which are not in the public record. It considered that from a regulatory perspective those factors carried less weight, and that the requirement to protect the public outweighed any mitigating factors in this case.

Aggravating factors

Deliberate breaches of the Code; absence of or limited insight; the age and vulnerability of the children who were depicted in the footage; the high volume of images collected over a period of time; deliberately and systematically searching for indecent images portraying young children including Category A images; multiple victims.

Source

All facts on this page are drawn from the publicly published Nursing and Midwifery Council determination linked below. MedicWatch does not editorialise the regulator’s findings.

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