A nurse has been struck off the register after a professional panel found that he had performed unnecessary and sexually motivated “examinations” of children’s genitals. Ashley Boyd, who also goes by the name Rhys Cronin, was the Great Western Hospital NHS Trust’s first Trans Liaison Nurse.
This week, a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) panel reviewed concerning reports of Boyd’s conduct, learning that he was regularly rostered as a triage nurse on the Paediatric Assessment Unit at Great Western Hospital in Swindon.
The panel focused on a series of incidents between January 2023 and August 2023, during which Boyd was found to have performed testicular examinations on multiple child patients. Boyd was not a qualified children’s nurse and was not authorized to carry out intimate examinations.
According to Wiltshire 999S, some of the children had been brought to the hospital for unrelated health issues, with a report to the NMC panel citing examples including tonsillitis. Despite having no medical justification or professional scope, Boyd subjected multiple children to genital examinations which included touching their genitals and inner thighs.
The panel concluded that some or all of the examinations were sexually motivated, carried out for sexual gratification, and amounted to a serious breach of professional standards.
In addition to the examinations themselves, the panel criticized Boyd for failing to properly record key information expected during these intimate examinations involving children. There was poor documentation around whether consent had been obtained, and whether a parent or guardian was even present at the time.
Disturbingly, colleagues reportedly knew about Boyd’s conduct, and raised concerns on multiple occasions. According to the NMC panel, Boyd was explicitly told on two occasions by senior staff to stop carrying out the intimate examinations but did not listen.
Wiltshire 999S adds that police have interviewed Boyd, though it is unclear what action, if any, followed.
Boyd has been struck off the professional register, meaning he is no longer able to practice as a nurse or refer to himself as a nurse. While he is allowed to appeal the decision, an interim suspension order for 18 months was also applied while the case remains within an appeal period.
In addition to his work, Boyd was a representative with the NHS Great Western Hospitals Trust LGBTQ+ Network.
According to a 2022 Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Report, Boyd served as the Trust’s LGBTQ+ Network Chair and its first-ever Trans Liaison Nurse.
“Much of [the role] involves simply listening to patients. I start the conversation and listen to their experiences, worries, and anxieties. I try my best to offer compassionate advice, support, and guidance,” Boyd is quoted as saying.
“I am constantly learning, through patient experiences, advocacy organizations like Stonewall, and even listening to people on YouTube. I also signpost patients and families to local charities and offer services when I think they need further support.”
Boyd was active in the community as an LGBTQ activist, indicated by the fact that he appears to have served as the Swindon & Wiltshire Pride Chair in 2023. He was quoted in a January 2023 article on the festivities by the Swindon Advertiser, suggesting he held that role at the same time he was performing inappropriate genital examinations on children at his workplace.
Many on social media are comparing the treatment Boyd received with that of Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust nurse Jennifer Melle.
Journalist Teresa Smith noted on X that the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) offered some representation to Boyd in his dispute with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, but refused to intervene in Melle’s case.
Appalling case of sexual assault of child patients in a hospital by a male nurse.
— teresa smith (@treesey) January 22, 2026
Strange that @theRCN represented this nurse – who has just been struck off – but not Jennifer Mellehttps://t.co/7e2uRJc79O pic.twitter.com/JKiUkVtfOm
While Boyd was initially allowed to continue practicing, even after significant concerns were raised about his conduct with children, Melle was suspended from her post after “misgendering” a transgender pedophile patient.
Melle had been a senior nurse at St. Helier Hospital in Carshalton when the pedophile was transferred in from a high-security prison in May of 2024. After referring to him as “Mister” in passing, the man went on a racist tirade against Melle and attempted to physically attack her. Melle was then given a written warning by her employer for misgendering the pedophile.
She later spoke to media about her experience, and was suspended in 2025 after the Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust placed her under investigation for potential misconduct.
Melle was finally reinstated this week after a lengthy misconduct hearing process.
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