November 1998

Paedophile ring members jailed

Three members of a paedophile ring that abused St John Ambulance Brigade cadets for 25 years have been jailed

The men, two of whom were superintendents, were charged after a cadet came forward to say he had been abused. It led to a flood of former members making similar allegations.

Police identified more than 80 victims, all under 16. Most were St John members.

The ring was headed by the man in charge of theFarnborough Division of the Brigade in Hampshire, Superintendent Leslie Gaines, 64.

Gaines, of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, admitted 11 charges of indecent assault. He also admitted five charges of buggery and one of attempted buggery. He was jailed for seven years.

Colin Hawyes, 51, of Farnborough, who succeeded Gaines as head of the division, was jailed for two years. He was found guilty after a trial on three charges of indecently assaulting boys.

The lodger at Gaines’s flat, 69-year-old Eric Attfield, of Western Road, Aldershot, was jailed for seven years.

He was convicted of two indecent assaults, one offence of buggery and two attempted buggeries. He was cleared of one indecent assault and one buggery.

Cadets as young as nine

Mr Stewart Jones, QC, prosecuting, told Winchester Crown Court some of the cadets were as young as nine.

The victims had been sexually abused on camping trips and at Gaines’s flat, which had been turned into a mini youth club.

Mr Jones told the jury that some of the offences were more than 30 years old – they all took place between the mid-1960s and the late 1980s.

Mr Jones quoted one former cadet abused by Gaines as saying: “These events deeply affected my life. I can’t understand what they have done to me.”

Another boy said: “The abuse I suffered has prevented me from forming stable relationships. It wrecked my education. I was expelled from school and got into trouble with the police.”

Miss Susan Matthews, QC, told the court that Gaines was not a well man, suffering from angina. He had collapsed in the dock at one point.

She said he himself had suffered abuse as a child from a vicar. She added: “His whole life was to do with the St John Ambulance Brigade. And he did a tremendous amount of good for that organisation. But that has now been overshadowed by these events.”

‘Trust grievously betrayed’

Sentencing Gaines, Judge Patrick Hooton told him: “You were in a position of trust both towards the boys and their parents.

“They trusted you implicitly and that trust was grievously betrayed by you in the position of authority that you were.”

After the case the Hampshire St John Ambulance Brigade said: “St John Ambulance expresses its sympathy to the victims and families involved in this case.

“We would like to assure the people of Hampshire and our 60,000 volunteers that the organisation is taking this matter very seriously.

“For the past 10 years St John Ambulance has been implementing a strict procedure to screen and monitor all new people and current volunteers.”

Detective Inspector Peter Swan, who headed the investigation, said he was delighted with the convictions.

He said: “At one stage 25 detectives were working on the inquiry and we set up a full-scale incident room as you do in a murder case.

“The investigation was essentially to establish that there was an organised paedophile ring within the St John Ambulance Brigade.” 

January 2013

Alan McDonald jailed over indecent images of children

A 38-year-old North Lanarkshire man is starting a six year jail term following his second conviction for downloading indecent images of children.

Alan McDonald was caught with 258,000 images and 758 movie clips of children being abused after police raided his flat in Motherwell in August 2011.

He was placed indefinitely on the sex offenders register and ordered to be monitored for two years on his release.

The High Court in Glasgow heard he was jailed for a similar offence in 2002.

Passing sentence, judge Lord Pentland told him: “It is of particular concern that you have a previous conviction at sheriff and jury level for the possession of indecent images of children and served a prison sentence for that offence.

“Even that has not served to deter you from continuing to offend in this way, indeed the present offence represents a significant escalation of your pattern of offending.”

‘Serious abuse’

The judge added that each image represents “serious abuse” of children and those who view such material share some of the responsibility for that abuse “by creating and sustaining a demand”.

Lord Pentland added: “The court will impose a substantial sentence to mark the gravity of the conduct and society’s abhorrence for it.”

The court heard some of the material seized from McDonald’s flat was at the worst end of the scale used to grade such material.

McDonald made no comment when later questioned about the find, but admitted once being attracted to children.

The 38-year-old was jailed for four months in 2002 after downloading 600 indecent images while working as a volunteer with children at a project run by North Lanarkshire Council.

McDonald admitted having made 600 obscene pictures of young girls by using a council computer at Kirkshaws Neighbourhood House in Coatbridge, over three months at the end of 2000.

He put them onto a floppy disk and then transferred them to his own computer at home in Coatbridge.

December 2012

Convicted paedophile had ‘worst’ pictures

A CONVICTED paedophile was caught with 258,000 indecent images of youngsters, a court heard.

June 2002

Man jailed over child porn images

A former voluntary worker who downloaded hundreds of pornographic pictures of children from the internet has been jailed for four-months.

Alan McDonald, 27, was working with children on a council-funded project when he used his work computer to access and store the images.

He volunteered for the North Lanarkshire Council scheme which involved teaching youngsters how to use computers.

McDonald admitted having made 600 obscene pictures of young girls by using a council computer at Kirkshaws Neighbourhood House in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, over three months at the end of 2000.

He put them onto a floppy disk and then transferred them to his own computer at home in Coatbridge.

Sheriff Robert H. Dickson viewed all 600 of the images with the help of two IT experts from Strathclyde Police before sentencing McDonald on Tuesday morning at Airdrie Sheriff Court.

McDonald’s lawyer, Eric Wallace said that since the case had appeared in the media his client had received death threats, had lost his job as a call centre operator with Sky TV and had been thrown out of home by his parents.

He said: “He has also received abusive phone calls on his mobile, which he has had to change, and has been unable to show his face in public.”

The lawyer, in McDonald’s defence, claimed his client “deleted the directories” at the end of every one of his downloading sessions at the centre.

Unmonitored computer

But one night, he got sloppy, and was running late to meet a friend, he forgot, and the following day his scheme was uncovered.

Mr Wallace said: “There was no question of him downloading and distributing these images. They were for the sole purpose of his own gratification.

“I accept they are degrading and disgusting images and any right minded person would be appalled, but they were not as grave as some that can be obtained from the internet.

“The court clearly has a public duty to deal with a matter of this nature and I don’t seek to minimise the gravity of these offences.”

At a previous hearing Fiscal Depute Brian Duffy told Sheriff Dickson how McDonald was also a youth leader in a club within a Baptist Church.

McDonald had worked with youngsters at the Neighbourhood House for 10 months before his scheme was uncovered.

The court was told 11 of the computers in the centre were linked to North Lanarkshire Council’s IT department where they could be monitored – but one of the computers, which had internet access, was not on the link.

McDonald realised this and used this computer to carry out his crime.

He had previously been turned down for any involvement in the local boys’ brigade after they discovered he had a previous conviction for an incident involving an air rifle.

In sentencing McDonald, Sheriff Dickson said: “We are not normally subjected to this type of case. Having viewed the images and read the social enquiry report I find no alternative other than that of a custodial sentence.

“I take into account the consequences to you and your family after the publicity this case received. I also take into account your early plea of guilty.”

McDonald was sentenced to four months in prison and a further two years on licence when he is released.

He was also put on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

December 2003

Man jailed over child porn

A former Boys Brigade leader from the Black Country has been jailed for eight months for downloading more than 1,000 indecent images of children from the internet.

Paul Armson, from Upper Ashley Street in Halesowen, printed the photographs on paper which had his name on.

Wolverhampton Crown Court was told Armson was caught after he tore the paper up and threw them out onto the street.

The photographs were found by a woman as she walked with her young child. She contacted the police.

Armson admitted 42 charges of making indecent images of children and he was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Armson had worked with the Boys Brigade for seven years.

The organisation said he had resigned before they had been notified of his arrest.

April 2005

Two men jailed for sex offences

Two men who sexually assaulted children and had more than 6,000 indecent images on their computers between them were jailed on Friday.

Jonathan Scarcliffe and David Bell admitted 26 charges including taking, possessing and distributing images to gross indecency and sexual assault.

Scarcliffe, 37, from Leamington Spa, Warks, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years at Warwick Crown Court.

Bell, 44, from Birtley, Tyne and Wear, received a four year jail term.

‘Position of trust’

On Thursday, the court was told that following his arrest Scarcliffe told police no youngster was safe from him. “I have become a monster”, he told officers.

Sentencing Scarcliffe, Judge Marten Coates said he had been the “leading light” of the pair.

He said: “You are a predatory paedophile in the true sense. Your victims were young and probably didn’t fully understand what was happening.”

He added the offences committed by Bell, a former Boys Brigade leader, from Morris Street in Birtley, were not as serious or persistent as Scarcliffe’s.

One of the victims was a toddler aged 17 months, with others ranging in age from four to 12.

Their ordeal was filmed or photographed and posted on the internet to be viewed or downloaded by other paedophiles.

The pair were arrested as part of Operation Jinks, a joint US-British police initiative which also led to a former primary school teacher from Leamington Spa – who knew Scarcliffe and Bell – being jailed for nine months in February for child pornography offences.

Prosecutor Michael Burrows said police found 1,398 indecent images of children on Scarcliffe’s computer and 5,108 on one belonging to Bell.

‘Harrowing case’

Some images were at the highest end of a scale to assess the seriousness of child pornography, and had been disguised or erased with encryption software, the prosecutor said.

Det Sgt Ally Wright, from Warwickshire Police, said the case had been “harrowing”, and his thoughts were with Scarcliffe and Bell’s victims and their families.

“They believed they could hide evidence of their wicked crimes through use of the internet.

“But we now have the technology and expertise in place to close the net on predatory paedophiles who pose such a danger to children all over the world.”

Both defendants were ordered to sign on to the sex offenders’ register for life.

October 2010

Paedophile magistrate jailed for abusing boys

A FORMER Surrey magistrate and Boys’ Brigade leader who pretended to be a pillar of the community while abusing young boys has been jailed.

Married David Lyn Jenkins, 70, now of Bevendean Crescent, Brighton, abused his positions of authority around the Redhill and Reigate area to get close to his young victims.

One of them sobbed at Lewes Crown Court on Monday as the pensioner was led off to the cells to begin a four-year sentence.

Jenkins had earlier admitted four counts of sexual abuse between 2005 and 2009, against a boy who was aged just nine when the offences began, plus a further count of abusing another 13-year-old boy in 1968.

Police now fear there may be other victims who have not come forward.

Jenkins previously sat on the bench at Redhill Magistrates’ Court, led Boys’ Brigade groups at churches in Redhill and Merstham, and also organised football coaching for schoolchildren between 1995 and 2000.

The pervert targeted his victims while taking them to play sports, the court heard.

In 1968 he befriended a 13-year-old boy in Reigate, taking him swimming and to a holiday camp.

The court was told the youngster saw Jenkins as a father figure, even though the pair were not related.

The victim, now in his 50s, kept quiet about the abuse for more than 30 years until he came across Jenkins when he had two small children of his own.

He said he was shocked when the defendant offered his young son a lift to football coaching sessions and subsequently reported him to police for the first time.

However, the man became too traumatised to give evidence in court and the charges were dropped.

Divorce

It was only when Jenkins’ abuse of another boy was reported to the police that his earlier victim agreed to take the stand against him.

A pre-sentence report found the defendant to be remorseless, “flat and emotionless” and at a medium to high risk of re-offending.

His defence counsel, Glenn Harris, said: “He has lost all his family because of what he has done.

“He’s lost his wife of 40 years, who is in the process of seeking a divorce from Mr Jenkins. He’s lost his home and his friends.

“He, through me, wishes to apologise to both his victims. He is deeply ashamed of what he has done.”

Handing down the sentence on Monday, Judge Guy Anthony said: “It may be that the urges that you have had over the last 40 years have been to a large extent kept under control.

“But on one occasion in 1968, and on several occasions over the last five years, you succumbed to them.

“As somebody who has until quite recently been a magistrate, you ought to have known better. You do the magistracy no credit.”

“So brave”

As well as the four-year prison term, Jenkins was also given an extended licence of an additional five years.

He was handed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order prohibiting him from having contact with boys under the age of 16 and was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Jenkins was living in Smallfield, near Horley, at the time of the offence in 2009.

His younger victim’s father, who cannot be named, said he was relieved his son had not been put through the ordeal of a trial.

Speaking after Jenkins’ guilty plea at an earlier hearing, he said: “I think in some ways it was bittersweet for him as he wanted his day, to stand there and face him. He wanted the legal system to believe him.

“But I think he felt relieved, massively relieved really.

“They both have a huge amount of guts to come forward, they are both so brave and I am really proud of my son.”

Detective Constable Dani Flude, from Sussex Police, said: “I am happy with the sentence Jenkins has received and would like to thank the brave victims who came forward and helped police with the investigation.

“Their courage has ensured Jenkins is not free to destroy the lives of other young boys.

“This was a joint investigation with Surrey Police and we are grateful for their input.”

October 2009

BUCKHURST HILL: Sixteen year sentence for child rapist

A FORMER painter and decorator for a children’s charity who subjected a young girl to “a campaign of sexual abuse” has been given a 16 year prison sentence.

Neil Bennett, 51, of Forest Edge, Buckhurst Hill, was told he had no understanding of the harm he had caused his young victim, now in her 20s, who he had repeatedly raped and sexually abused over a period of seven years in the 1990s.

In sentencing Bennett Judge Wendy Joseph QC told him: “Seven years of abuse began to take their toll until she was terribly affected. She was clearly on the edge of a complete breakdown.

“She was failing at school and was attempting to kill herself with overdoses. She couldn’t bring herself to tell anyone in authority.

“Her suicide attempts reached such a pitch she was left at a psychiatric unit. It was there, after a final serious suicide attempt, that she disclosed the source of why she was trying to kill herself- your behaviour to her.”

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard that Bennett still maintained his innocence despite being found guilty of nine charges relating to child sex abuse in July this year.

Judge Joseph said: “You have no understanding of the harm you have done or the pain you have caused her. Looking at the gravity of the offences I have come to the conclusion these are very serious offences indeed.”

During the period of his offences, Bennett was employed in a workshop at the headquarters of Barnado’s, in Barkingside, although there has never been any suggestion he abused children there.

His defence barrister David Owen-Jones said: “I suppose he’s worked for Dr Barnados, there may be occasions when he came into contact with children, and also in the Boys’ Brigade but there’s been no whisper of impropriety there.

“He’s a man who has been deeply respected. He’s made a positive contribution to his church, and is respected for his involvement in the church.”

Bennett was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment for four counts of indecent assault, two of rape, one of attempted rape, and two of indecency with a child.

He was ordered to be placed on the sex offenders’ register for life, and disqualified from working with children.

April 2006

Paedophile behind bars

A FORMER Boys’ Brigade leader, who molested boys during a catalogue of abuse spanning three decades, has been jailed for five years.

William Hill, 71, of Parsonage Court, Rectory Lane, Loughton, lured many of his victims on trips to Southend. He plied them with sweets and chocolates to keep them quiet after sexually assaulting them, often while driving to the coast.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard that Hill was allowed to put children as young as seven to bed after visiting them in their homes.

On one occasion he indecently assaulted a boy while sharing a tent with him during a brigade camping trip to Wales. One of his seven victims was a girl.

Pamela Oon, prosecuting, said Hill targeted children between 1969 and 1984 while in charge of the Hainault branch of the Boys’ Brigade.

After abusing boys aged between six and 14 he ordered them to keep quiet and warned one child his mother would become ill if he told her.

A number of the youngsters were taken to Southend to play in the amusement arcades and were fondled on the way there. In one case Hill stopped his car in an open area and put a blanket over his victim to hide what he was doing.

Complaints against him surfaced in 1999 when Hill resigned from the brigade on the grounds of ill health. But police did not interview him until October 2004 when a victim finally broke his silence some 20 years on.

A flurry of similar allegations were then made by former Boys’ Brigade members who had suffered abuse at his hands.

When Hill was arrested he told police: “It’s nothing untoward.”

Tanya Woolls, defending, said: “There’s really little that can be said in relation to the facts, save that it was fortunate it didn’t progress on a different scale, but the damage was already done.”

Sentencing Hill last Wednesday, Judge Timothy King said: “The horror of these offences speaks for itself.

“You were a serial paedophile and you were targeting your perversions on the young and innocent and you knew what you were doing.

“But you carried on in your selfish way without regard for their feelings and now the time has come to pay the price.”

He added: “These proceedings are belated in bringing you to justice, but better late than never.”

Hill admitted 15 charges of indecent assault. Three additional charges which he denied were ordered to lie on the court file.

He was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and was banned from being around children aged under 16 unless accompanied by another adult.

Detective Inspector Mick Thurley, of the Woodford child abuse investigation team, praised the victims for coming forward, and singled out investigating officer Detective Sergeant Davina Rose for praise for her work on the case.

He said: “I think it was a fair sentence given the fact that Hill had a large number of offences against him.

“The court also had to bear in mind that he had pleaded guilty and spared the victims from having to give evidence.”

January 2009

Boys’ Brigade pervert jailed

A PERVERT has been jailed for 12 years for sexually abusing a younger boy he met while they were members of the Boys’ Brigade.

Jason Harper ‘corrupted and domineered’ his victim over several years and used violence to ensure he complied with his sexual orders.

The boy ‘lived in awe’ of Harper and was tormented by the abuse for years after it ended. He was only able to report it to police more than a decade later. Judge Michael Henshell at Manchester Crown Court said: “He was small and vulnerable and you were powerful and domineering and you betrayed his friendship in order to satisfy yourself.”

Harper met his victim when they were both members of a Manchester branch of the Boys’ Brigade.

The judge said nobody in the Boys’ Brigade could be blamed `in the slightest’. “You corrupted him. You developed a sexual relationship with him and you cultivated that relationship and the offences were accompanied by violence.”

Harper, now 32, from Burnage, was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life, disqualified from working with children and made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. He had been convicted of 18 sex crimes against the boy. The prosecution had told how Harper carried out ‘years of systematic abuse’.

He was accused of beating his victim with a hospital crutch, a dog lead and a bicycle chain and forcing him to carry out a string of sex acts. Aleric Bassano, prosecuting, said the victim once tried to kill himself by taking an overdose. The jury, on the judge’s direction, found Harper not guilty of assaulting two other boys.

Detective Constable Andy Bromley from West Didsbury CID said: “Harper is a dangerous sex offender who repeatedly abused his victim. “Harper befriended the victim before belittling and bullying him. “The victim was a lot younger, weaker and more naive than Harper and he took full advantage of this to satisfy his sexual desires.

“I would like to praise his courage at coming forward and helping to bring Harper to justice.” He added: “I would appeal to anyone else that may have been a victim of Harper, or a victim of sexual abuse, to please come forward and speak to police.”

July 2011

Former Worcester Park baptist minister jailed for sexually abusing boys

A Baptist church minister was jailed for eight years for sexually abusing two boys in the United States.

Reverend Robert Dando, a senior minister at Worcester Park Baptist Church, was jailed at court in Fairfax, Virginia, on Friday.

He had previously admitted four counts of sexually molesting the two young sons of family friends over a period of several years.

He sexually abused the boys between 1995 and 1999, from the ages of seven and eight.

He will serve his prison term in the United States.

County officials previously told the Fairfax County Circuit Court one of the victims said Dando molested him by touching his genitals on 50 to 60 different occasions.

Dando, from Sherbrooke Way, resigned from Worcester Park Church after he was arrested in the US in July.

He was also removed from membership of the Boy’s Brigade, in which his wife, Janice, was a vice-president.

A spokesman for Worcester Park Baptist Church said: “Robert Dando (Senior Minister at Worcester Park Baptist Church from 2007 until he resigned July 2010) has been sentenced by Fairfax County Circuit Court, Virginia to eight years in total for sexually molesting two boys on visits to the USA. He will serve his prison term in the USA.

“Prior to this Robert was the Minister at Orchard Baptist Church, Bicester (1995-2006) and Grangetown BC Cardiff (1990-94) and Associate Minister, Ararat Baptist Church (1988-90).”

“Any allegations made of this nature within a Baptist Union of Great Britain church would be reported to the police and social services immediately.

“We are remembering all of those affected by this situation in our prayers at this difficult time.”

Thames Valley Police are investigating Dando in relation to his time in the UK.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: “We are currently following a number of leads and enquiries relating to child protection issues involving Robert Dando that have occurred in the UK.”

A former magistrate in the county, Dando was understood to have been a member of the Oxfordshire Family Panel, which deals with child care and access proceedings.

2008

The sun – Last place to house kid perv

A PAEDOPHILE Boys Brigade leader has been housed next to a registered childminder.

Ross McKinnon, 34, was jailed after he was caught with 31,000 child porn images on his computer in an FBI sting.

But he’s been freed after serving half his 20-month sentence – and is living in a quiet cul-de-sac in Falkirk.

McKinnon – former captain of the 5th Grangemouth BB Company – has been housed there so he can be monitored by the authorities.

But locals recognised him in the street, and one woman who lives just yards from him complained to Falkirk Council.

The childminder – who didn’t want to be named – said: “I look after kids and I’ve got children of my own and I think it’s a disgrace he’s moved in here.

“He shouldn’t be living where there are young kids. There are kids going up and down all the time and he’s going to have sick thoughts in his mind.

“The council told me it was nothing to do with them and that the flat is used for homeless people.”

Twisted McKinnon, of Falkirk, was caught after a joint operation between the FBI and Scots cops.

Central Scotland Police computer crime unit raided McKinnon’s home after agents in Los Angeles investigated a child porn website.

He pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child porn last August at the town’s sheriff court. He was placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

McKinnon’s ground-floor flat sits at the right end of a small cul-de-sac, 20 yards diagonally adjacent to the home of the childminder.

Last night another neighbour of McKinnon’s said he should be moved out of the street.

She added: “There’s no way someone like him should be living here – he should be still in jail.

“He’s a disgusting pervert and shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near children.

October 2007

Internet paedophile sent to jail

An internet paedophile caught after a joint operation between Scottish Police and the FBI has been jailed.

Ross McKinnon, 33, from Hallglen, near Falkirk, also served as captain of the 5th Grangemouth Company Boys Brigade.

The investigation resulted in officers discovering more than 31,000 images of naked children on his home computer.

McKinnon was given 20 months in jail with 15 months on licence at Falkirk Sheriff Court. He was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Sentencing him, Sheriff William Gallacher told McKinnon: “Judges have repeatedly stated this is not a victimless crime.

“You were willing to allow the continued abuse of the children involved in these images and videos.”

McKinnon was discovered after agents from the FBI in Los Angeles began investigating a website called Namgla (North American Man Girl Love Association).

15-minute video

They were able to trace thousands of people who had logged on and exchanged files on the site.

McKinnon’s details were passed to the Child Exploitation and Protection Centre (CEOPS) in London and then to Central Scotland Police.

Armed with a warrant, officers from the force’s computer crime unit raided McKinnon’s home and found 31,129 indecent images of boys and girls on his computer.

In August, McKinnon pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child pornography between 1 November 2005 and 31 August 2006.

Before sentencing, Sheriff Gallacher was shown 15-minute video footage of a young girl recovered from McKinnon’s computer.

The court heard that as a condition of his membership of Namgla, McKinnon was required to upload fresh pornographic images to the site every 30 days to ensure “a constant supply of material” was available to other users.

He uploaded more than 350 images over a six-month period, all trawled from the world wide web.

McKinnon had been left in charge of boys aged as young as five in the Christian youth organisation, but resigned as soon as he was caught.

‘Illicit activity’

J Stephen Tidwell, assistant director of the FBI in Los Angeles, said: “This conviction exemplifies the robust cooperation the FBI shares with the international law enforcement community.

“In this case, it was to find and prosecute consumers of a child pornography website which served a global community of online predators.

“The successful prosecution of Mr McKinnon in the UK should serve as a warning to those who conduct similar illicit activity online, in the US or around the world.”

Eddie Collier, who recently retired as president of Falkirk and District BB, said McKinnon would have had to pass strict checks before becoming a BB leader.

He said: “I knew he had resigned but I didn’t know the details until now.

“There is a very vigorous screening process before anyone can become a BB officer.

“The BBs and the Church of Scotland have a quite complicated registration system. It is not something that is done lightly.”

McKinnon’s solicitor Neil Hay said: “He has caused the Boys Brigade a great deal of embarrassment and he is sorry for that.

“His family has been greatly disappointed in him, he has been isolated from his social group, and has suffered from depressionas a result of this case.” 

April 2012

Perverted Leigh Park Boys’ Brigade leader jailed for 12 years

PAEDOPHILE Boys’ Brigade leader Terence Cawte has been jailed for 12 years for grooming and sexually abusing two boys.

The 74-year-old was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court for crimes dating back to the 1970s when he was captain of the Leigh Park Boys’ Brigade.

Cawte, a married father-of-three, was found guilty of systematically abusing his two victims at his home and at his former bookshop, the Portsmouth Christian Book Centre, in New Road, North End.

Following an eight-day trial, the jury took four-and-a-half hours to reach unanimous verdicts on five multiple incident counts of indecent assault on a male, one of indecency with a child and two other sexual offences.

Passing sentence Judge Ian Pearson told Cawte, who had attended Leigh Park Methodist Church and was well-known for his charity work, that he was guilty of a gross breach of trust.

He said: ‘When you committed these offences you were a highly respected member of your local community and I do accept that you have done a great deal of good within that community.

‘However, these two boys looked up to you and respected you and expected you to look after them.

‘Instead you used your position to groom and abuse those two vulnerable boys.

‘Both of your victims had significant problems within their home lives and you used those to be able to abuse them sexually.’

He added that Cawte’s two victims had suffered severe emotional damage as a result of the abuse they endured.

‘This was a significant and sustained gross breach of trust and it was over a very lengthy period indeed,’ he said.

Sarah Jones, defending, said despite abusing two boys in his care Cawte, of Maytree Gardens, Waterlooville, had otherwise lived a life of ‘positive benefit’ to the community that he lived in.

She said: ‘In the lives of his family Mr Cawte has been nothing but a good and loving father and grandfather.

‘Now in his late 70s, he faces a sentence which may very likely mean he will not see his grandchildren again. When the verdict was read out he aged 20 years in 20 seconds, he is no longer a well man.’

Nov 2010

Foster dad put child porn on the net

A PERVERTED foster carer caught with nearly 14,000 indecent images of children after a woman in America spotted “soft-porn” pics of children on a social website has been jailed for two years.

Police seized a computer from the home of Robert White, 44, of Long Brandocks, Writtle, containing the appalling images, a judge was told.

A charge of sexual assault in relation to a boy was left on the file, but White admitted two counts involving possessing a “large number of indecent images”, Chelmsford Crown Court was told.

Judge David Turner told White: “You were a foster carer with a private agency, involved with the Boys Brigade, ran a modelling agency, involved in trumpet lessons and gave limited help with an after-school club.

“There’s not the remotest prospect of returning to fostering in any shape or form. You accumulated a dreadful pile of stuff.

“As a result of legitimate concerns in the US, police began proper enquiries and a large amount, just short of 14,000 images, were found.

“This was unpleasant and worrying material.

“You protest society will not let you express yourself. Frankly if that’s how you are, society is legitimately concerned.”

He also ordered White to remain on the sex offenders’ register for ten years and abide by a Sex Offenders Prevention Order, banning him from working with children. Allan Compton, prosecuting, said the social website is used to post images of holiday snaps or sports events.

He said the images were discovered after a concerned woman in the US saw soft porn images of children in underwear.

The matter was reported to the authorities in the UK and passed to Essex police.

When interviewed, White admitted downloading the images – from the lowest level one to the highest level five – over an eight-year period, from the late Nineties.

Matthew Dance, mitigating, said White suffers from Hodgkins Lymphoma and started looking at pictures “as a result of depression after losing his business”.

July 2001

Sex abuse appeal thrown out

An attempt by a lawyer and former football club chairman to have his conviction for sexually abusing young boys overturned has been thrown out.

Julian Danskin had been convicted of molesting members of the Boys’ Brigade Company of which he was the captain.

At a hearing before appeal judges in Edinburgh, his legal team argued that Danskin had not received a fair trial at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in 1999.

But the judges upheld the original conviction and the 18-month prison sentence which had been imposed upon him.

Outside the court, a spokeswoman for the victims’ families said the process of rebuilding their lives would be a slow and difficult one.

Defence advocate Herbert Kerrigan QC said doubts existed about the trial.

He argued that evidence about an earlier extortion case in which Danskin was involved had prejudiced the jury against his client and led to a miscarriage of justice.

Danskin – who was chairman of East Fife Football club, and a senior partner in a law firm – was sentenced to 18 months in jail for three offences.

But he was released from prison after a week, pending the outcome of his appeal.

Relatives of Danskin’s victims who were in court shouted “beast”, as he was led from the dock.

Speaking outside the court a spokeswoman for the victims’ families said: “For our sons it will take a long, long time I think before they can really move on with their lives because it is like a life sentence for them.”

Ann Ward, one of Danskin’s neighbours, said the outcome may provide some of the victims with a sense that justice had been done.

She said: “All the while that he was free there was this great concern that there was no justice and that justice wasn’t going to be done.

“And I think what we have seen today will maybe restore some faith in the judicial system.”

December 1999

Football club owner jailed for offences against boys

A PROMINENT lawyer and football club owner who sexually abused young boys was yesterday jailed for 18 months.

Julian Danskin molested the boys over a ten-year period while he was captain of a Boys’ Brigade company.

Danskin, 48, used a variety of threats to silence his victims who were aged between eight and 14 when the offences took place.

The offences came to light during an earlier trial in which Danskin was the victim of a blackmail plot. During the trial in August 1998 Danskin refused to reveal why his voice appeared on a gay pornographic video which featured two youths performing indecent sex acts.

The senior partner of a Fife legal firm, Smith & Grant, and owner of East Fife FC, Danskin claimed he was protecting client confidentiality but his explanation brought a stinging rebuke from the trial judge who branded him “unsatisfactory and unwholesome”.

As a result of the extortion case, Danskin’s victims came forward and police launched another inquiry.

At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court yesterday, Sheriff Francis Keane said Danskin had betrayed a position of trust and said there was no alternative but to send him to prison.

Sheriff Keane said: “You followed a course of conduct that was pernicious, loathsome and obscene. That was bad enough but, more importantly, that conduct occurred when you were a pillar of the community and put time and effort into the success of the Boys’ Brigade.

“That appears to have been a facade which covered the degrading criminal conduct of which you have been found guilty.

“To be a captain in the Boys’ Brigade your conduct should be exemplary, you should uphold Christian values and be a good role model. Your conduct towards these two people was a complete negation of those principles.”

Danskin, a bachelor who lived with his elderly mother in Leven, Fife, denied all the charges and claimed the victims were “lying drug addicts”.

But a jury earlier found him guilty of two charges of shameless indecency and one charge of lewd and libidinous practices which including inducing the youngsters to strip naked, handling their private parts, showing them pornographic material and in one case inducing a teenager to masturbate him.

Danskin remained impassive in the dock as sentence was passed but there were cheers from the relatives of his victims. The sheriff ordered that his name be placed on the sex offenders register for the next ten years and after his release from prison he is to be supervised by social workers for nine months.

Earlier, Danskin’s lawyer, Edward Targowski, QC, told the court that more than 220 people had signed a petition supporting the shamed lawyer and pleaded for a community service order in place of a prison sentence. Mr Targowski said: “It is in Mr Danskin’s credit that people are prepared to publicly sign a petition on his behalf.”

Outside the court, one of Danskin’s victims, James Patterson, 22, said he was happy his tormentor had been jailed, but added the sentence should have been longer.

Mr Patterson said: “I think it’s great. Justice has been done, but I think it should have been longer than 18 months.”

After the case yesterday anti-paedophile campaigners welcomed the conviction, but called for tougher sentences to be handed down to sex offenders.

Dee Murray, spokeswoman for Justice for Children, said it was another case of people in positions of power abusing it.

She said: “Paedophiles are attracted to clubs like the Boys’ Brigade and the Scouts because they have easy access to children.

“Parents should be vigilant when sending their children to these clubs and they should ask plenty of questions and find out who the people they are leaving their children with are.”

The Children First charity said they have been campaigning for tougher checks on people who work with children and young adults. A spokeswoman said: “Child abusers can come from all walks of life. There would have been no rigorous checks carried out and this needs to change.

“People who are well-known in the community can come across as very credible, but it doesn’t mean they should automatically be allowed to work with youngsters.”

The Boys’ Brigade said it deeply regretted the activities of Danskin while he was a leader. A spokesman said: “As a solicitor he was a man of high standing in the community and was held in equally high regard for the way he led one of our largest and most successful companies.

“Never during his long service with the brigade did he give any cause for concern regarding his relationship with boys in the 1st Methil Company.”

The Law Society of Scotland said yesterday it would consider a report from the Crown Office before making a decision on whether to take action.

East Fife FC said Danskin had been replaced as chairman, but refused to comment on the court case.

December 2012

Man jailed after indecent images found at his Lancashire home

A man who kept more than 6,000 images of children on his home computer has been jailed.

Police said Steven Watt, 36, of Ashton Road, Morecambe, had worked in schools and colleges in Lancashire and Cumbria and was involved in the Boys Brigade.

He pleaded guilty to making and possessing indecent images of children and was jailed at Preston Crown Court.

He was told on Monday he would serve 12 months and was disqualified from working from children.

He was also put on the sex offenders register and a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) was put in place.

Lancashire Constabulary said officers were called after concerns were raised about material in his possession.

A significant number of images, of varying degrees of indecency, were found on his computer and on DVDs seized from his home.

Det Con Mark Greaves said: “Watt had contact with children both through his employment and his recreational activities and it is disturbing that he had such a large number of indecent images of youngsters in his possession.

“He is now behind bars, but the ban on working with children and the SOPO will also ensure that controls are in place once he is released to make sure he is not a threat to our community.”

December 2002

Brigade captain jailed for 16 years

During the three-week trial the jury heard that the four boys, who are now aged between 16 and 22, were befriended by Crombleholme through the Boys Brigade and their families would trust him to take them on day trips out and to have them stay over at his house in Price Street, Birkenhead.

He would ask the boys to sleep in his bed and wear only their shorts and he would indecently assault them and rape them.

Two of the boys were aged 11 and 12 when he raped them.

Judge John Roberts called him “a danger to young boys” and disqualified him from ever working with children.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

Crombleholme, who had been involved with the Boys Brigade for more than 20 years, put himself in charge of organising the children’s badges for wrestling, football and swimming.

Prosecutor Peter Davies said he would coach them in order to get physically close to them for his own sexual gratification.

Police investigating the allegations of abuse seized a number of videos from Crombleholme’s house, which were shown to the jury of six men and six women.

One of them showed him wrestling with young boys becoming sexually aroused as he grappled with the children.

Mr Davies said the films, some of which focused on the legs of young boys at Crombleholme’s house, were made for his own indulgence.

He said: “The boys were part of the Boys Brigade and the defendant was to introduce them to sporting and educational activities.

“However, for these four boys he introduced them to indecency and sex.”

Speaking after the trial, Martyn Waters, programme director of the Boys’ Brigade, said a range of measures have been put in place to reassure parents.

He said: “We regret any damage done to these boys because of this man’s behaviour – not only them, but their parents and other leaders in Wirral.

“Incidents like these are thankfully rare. It is never, however, taken lightly.”

Crombleholme had denied acting inappropriately with any of the boys and said he believed he was the victim of a police witch-hunt for paedophiles.

He did admit in a police interview that he was gay and found young boys attractive up until the age of 12.

Detective Constable Andy O’Connor said: “This court case came about because of the courage of the boys. Now he has been jailed, his victims and their families will be able to close a chapter of their lives.”

September 2013

Perverted Huddersfield Boys’ Brigade leader Duane Holmes jailed for child sex abuse

A perverted Boys’ Brigade leader who targeted youngsters over a 14-year period is behind bars.

Duane Holland, who was involved with the church youth movement in Huddersfield, has been given a 12-year extended jail sentence after he was described as a “predatory paedophile.”

Police discovered a trail of abuse dating back to 1997 after the Almondbury man was trapped after sending suggestive text messages to a boy.

And other youngsters later came forward to reveal details of “truth or dare” games that Holland made them play.

Police in Humberside began investigating Holland in 2011 after he sent suggestive text messages to a boy in that area who he had met at a camp.

Inquiries then revealed he had already been sexually abusing another teenager in West Yorkshire he had met through the Brigade in the Huddersfield area where he lived.

Two other victims then came forward to say he had abused them years ago when he had babysat them, completely unconnected to the Boy’s Brigade.

Holland, 27, of Harvey Royd, Almondbury, was found guilty by a jury in July after a trial at Leeds Crown Court on 10 charges of indecent assault and one of attempted rape.

He admitted causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to facilitate a sexual offence, three charges of sexual activity with a child, three offences of taking indecent photographs and eight of making indecent photographs.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison with a further five years extended licence on his release.

Barring him from working with children for life and ordering him to register as a sex offender indefinitely, Judge Guy Kearl QC said he had used a position of trust to exploit the children involved over a 14-year period, first as a babysitter and later through the Boy’s Brigade.

“The Crown submit you are a predatory paedophile and I agree.

“You do not see your behaviour as being illegal, you have minimised, justified and decriminalised matters in your own mind as part of a distorted thought process.

“You are extremely plausible and have no victim empathy whatsoever.”

Stephen Wood, prosecuting, said in October 2011 Humberside police contacted their counterparts in West Yorkshire in relation to “inappropriate” text messages Holland had sent to a teenager, allegedly grooming him.

He told officers he had met Holland at a camp some years earlier and then again at another camp on the Isle of Wight and they had begun texting.

He said he had once had about 110 texts in one day from Holland, who had also put £15 credit on the phone for his birthday.

Holland told him: “You’re sexy” and made other suggestive comments – then claimed he was joking, said Mr Wood.

He had made arrangements for the boy to stay with him at a caravan in Bridlington but before that happened the texts had been spotted on the boy’s phone and reported to the police.

Holland had talked of bringing a second boy with him to the caravan and when police spoke to that boy he admitted Holland had been abusing him since he was 13.

He described how Holland had suggested playing a game with pieces of paper saying they had to do what the paper they picked said.

Mr Wood said the abuse of that boy included getting the boy to urinate over Holland on one occasion and videoing the boy performing sexual acts.

The two boys who came forward about historic abuse by Holland when he was babysitting them in the past both described Holland playing a game he called “truth or dare”, persuading them to engage in sexual activity.

“That game is a recurring feature of this case and is, say the prosecution, a device used by the defendant to groom young boys and persuade them to engage in sexual activity with him by normalising the conduct in their minds,” said Mr Wood.

The first victim said he naively agreed and was sexually abused by Holland. The experience so traumatised him he said he had thoughts of killing himself for years and eventually did take an overdose.

The second boy also described Holland suggesting: “Do you want to play truth or dare?” He said the abuse went on regularly when Holland visited and he was too scared to tell his mother what was going on.

Robin Frieze, for Holland, said he still denied the historic offences but had indicated he would undertake the sex offender treatment programme in prison.

“Although the court will be concerned about his activities particularly under the auspices of the Boy’s Brigade his ability to offend in the future will be significantly curtailed.”

After the case Det Con Emma Summerscales, who was commended for her work, praised the courage of the complainants and urged anyone suffering abuse in such situations to seek help.

“I hope this sentence will bring some closure for those involved,” she said.

A spokesman for the Boys’ Brigade, who meet in Brackenhall in Huddersfield, said: “We are sorry for any hurt caused to the victims and hope this case will not undermine all the good work done by the Brigade.”

June 2014

Boys’ Brigade pervert jailed more than 50 years after abusing youngster in Leeds

A SEX abuse victim has seen the Boys’ Brigade captain who preyed on him as a child brought to justice after more than 50 years.

Malcolm Healey, 84, hid behind his position as a respected pillar of his community in Fulneck, near Pudsey, to prey on victim Hugh Norton.

Mr Norton, now 67, agreed to waive his anonymity to discuss the years of torment Healey’s abuse had caused him after finding the courage to make a complaint against his abuser.

He told the YEP: “For half a lifetime Healey has hidden his sordid secrets behind a carefully constructed veneer of respectability while posing as a pillar of the community while I have struggled beneath a burden of guilt and shame. I am grateful that the burden has at last been lifted and the empty shell of Healey’s life of lies has been exposed to public scrutiny.

“For many years he has been seen as a ‘Mr Nice Guy’. But the reality is that he is a snake in the grass who has finally been dragged out of the shadows.”

Healey was jailed two years yesterday after pleading guilty to 15 offences of indecent assault of a boy aged under 16. Healey was also a respected member of the Fulneck Moravian Church committee for many years. Leeds Crown Court heard Healey often abused his victim in the choir stalls during church services.

Mr Norton said: “I hate him because of the fact that I lost a lot of good years and friendships with my mum and dad because of what he did. It was a cynical betrayal of trust in the most callous of ways.

Healey began abusing Mr Norton when he was a ten-year-old member of the Life Boys, the junior section of the Boys’ Brigade.

The abuse continued until he was 15, when he joined the army as a boy soldier in order to escape the abuse.

He added: “When the offending commenced I was a bright pupil at my local school and, after winning a scholarship to Leeds Grammar School my aspirations and hopes of pursuing a high powered military career were encouraged by my teachers and parents.

“In the event my early adolescence was clouded by the shame, fear and associated doubts that this perverse relationship had bred.”

“The relief at escaping the clutches of this evil man was immense and immediate though I have been unable to escape the effects of his behaviour towards me throughout my life.

“It is only now in my late years and with the support of my present wife that I have felt able to confront this demon from the past.”

Healey was able to use his position of trust within the community to target his young victim and groom him before subjecting him to years of abuse.

Leeds Crown Court heard the first offence against Mr Norton took place during a camping trip in the Yorkshire Dales in 1957. Howard Shaw, prosecuting, said Healey would then abuse the boy after Boy Brigade meetings. Mr Shaw said Healey would ask him to stay behind when the other boys had left and then target him.

Healey then grew confident enough to prey on Mr Norton during Moravian Church meetings. The court heard the victim could remember incident from when he was around 12 years of age when Healey would target him as he was in the choir stalls.

On one occasion when he was 14, Healey went to the boy’s home when he was ill in bed and indecently assaulted him when his mother went out of the room to make tea. Nicholas Hammond, mitigating, said Healey was remorseful for what he had done. He said his client had a specific sexual interest in Mr Norton but not in boys generally.

The lawyer handed judge Penelope Belcher letters of reference describing the community work Healey had done over more than 50 years.

Judge Belcher said: “This was an abuse of trust. Those boys would have looked at you for leadership and guidance and would not have challenged what you did.”

Det Insp Lawrence Bone, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said: “We are very pleased that Healey has now been brought to account for his crimes.

“No-one should underestimate the long-term damage that such offences have on victims.

“Many have their lives blighted for decades without being able to tell anyone what has happened to them.

“For some the point at which they are able to disclose what has happened to them is never reached, and for others they only get there after many years of doubt and sometimes significant trauma.

“I can assure any person that has suffered such abuse that no matter when this happened West Yorkshire Police has specialist safeguarding officers who will listen and investigate and do we all we can to see offenders like Healey brought to justice.”

March 2002

Boys brigade officer jailed for abuse after 36 years

A SHAMED Boys’ Brigade leader who groped a nine-year-old boy was jailed for three months yesterday. 

Derek Thomson, 54, was told he had breached his position of trust when he fondled the youngster on a camping trip in the Highlands 10 years ago. 

Thomson and members of Kirkintilloch BB Company had bedded down for the night in Strath Shanary near Kinlochbervie in the summer of 1992. 

Procurator fiscal Alasdair MacDonald told Dornoch Sheriff Court yesterday: “During the night Thomson put his hand inside the boy’s sleeping bag and under his pyjamas in order to commit this crime. 

“The boy was awake and aware of what was happening but pretended to be asleep until the accused’s conduct ceased.” 

The court heard that Thomson might have got away with it because the boy was too embarrassed to say anything. 

Mr Macdonald added: “He said nothing for years, until eight years later, in 2000, he discussed the matter with another young man and, as a result, his mother was told and the police were informed.” 

Married Thomson, of Staffa, East Kilbride, admitted committing lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards the primary schoolboy. 

The court heard that Thomson had lost his job as a security guard when the incident was reported to the police. 

His lawyer, Michael Callaghan, urged Sheriff Donald Booker-Milburn to consider a non custodial sentence. 

He pointed out that Thomson had pleaded guilty and avoided any further stress to his victim and added that he believed his client was no longer a risk to children. 

The solicitor said: “He lost his job as a result of this matter and has been on anti-depressants. 

“It is fair to say that it has been a somewhat distressing time for him. 

“He does accept it was a breach of trust. 

“He is no longer involved with the Boys’ Brigade.” 

But, jailing Thomson, Sheriff Booker-Milburn said: “Given the nature of this charge and the fact you were in a position of trust and you breached this trust, I consider a custodial sentence to be the only appropriate one.” 

Thomson was also put on the sex offenders’ register. 

August 2014

Paedophile church elder and well-known former council clerk convicted of abuse in 1970s

A CHURCH elder well-known across North Devon has been found guilty of abusing a 14-year-old boy he molested after offering him a job on his North Devon farm.

Philip Huxtable was a lay preacher, clerk to numerous councils, governor of two North Devon schools and leader of a Boys Brigade troop who had been running a youth club in a Chapel hall when he met and befriended the teenager in the early 1970s.

At the time was also working with the National Farmers Union and went on to abuse the boy again in the union’s offices in the centre of Barnstaple.

Huxtable groped the boy and made him touch him after giving him a Saturday job at his farm at Shirwell, near Barnstaple, where he bred pedigree Dexter cattle and Dorset Devon sheep.

The abuse lasted for around three months during and after a summer holiday and took place in a cowshed and in a van when he gave the teenager a lift to his home in a nearby village.

The youngster kept his abuse secret for almost 40 years before telling his family, a counsellor and the police.

The verdicts at Exeter Crown Court exposed 78-year-old Huxtable as an abuser after a life in which he has been a pillar of the community.

He was a farmer with his own smallholding but also worked for the NFU, where he toured farms all over North and Mid Devon sorting out insurance problems for members.

After moving from his farm he went to live in Braunton and then Barnstaple and was an elder of the Christ Church Methodist and United Reform chapel at Braunton and Captain of its Boys Brigade for 18 years.

He was also chair of governors at Shirwell Primary School for eight years and a governor at North Molton school for 20 years. He has served as clerk to the Pilton, Shirwell and Fremington parish councils and chairman of the Dexter Cattle Group.

Huxtable, aged 78, of Westaway Close, Barnstaple, denied four counts of indecently assaulting the boy in the mid-1970s when he was aged 13 to 15.

He was found guilty of three of the counts and cleared of the fourth on the instructions of judge Erik Salomonsen, who adjourned sentence for a probation report and further details about Huxtable’s health problems.

The Judge said he had been impressed by the references he had already seen which paid tribute to the defendant’s lifelong contribution to the local community in North Devon.

He said: “We have heard from his character witnesses of the creditable life he has lived over many years. In terms of disposal, the maximum sentence is ten years but I am enjoined to follow the current guidelines.

“I am prepared to ask the probation service to prepare a report.”

He told Huxtable: “You have lived with this for very many years. You were entitled to plead not guilty and that is what you decided to do, although you had acknowledged at an early stage in your police interviews there had been sexual activity of a lesser sort on three to four occasions.”

The judge also noted that the boy had also been abused more seriously at around the same time by an older youth in his village, who has since died.

He asked police to prepare a victim impact statement which sought to distinguish how much of the psychological damage could be attributed to Huxtable.

During a three day trial the jury heard how Huxtable ran a youth club for local teenagers in the early 1970s and employed the boy with a Saturday job at his farm in the summer and autumn of 1973 when he was 14.

The boy said the farmer exposed himself to him as they were cleaning a cowshed and went on to touch him repeatedly there and in his van.

He said he had been abused again five or six years later when he went to the NFU offices to get car insurance.

He explained why he had not made any complaint back in the 1970s. He said: “It is hard for people to understand it now, but things were different then. The discipline and everything were different. If I had told my father he would probably have hit me for telling tales.”

Huxtable said his only sexual contact was in the cowshed and had been initiated by the boy and rejected by him. He denied abusing the victim in his van, saying he needed both hands on the wheel to negotiate the winding lanes around his farm.

He explained his apparent admissions in police interview by saying he had been browbeaten into saying thing he did not mean by the detectives.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

May 2015

Rotherham Boys’ Brigade pervert gets 23 years for sexually abusing young boys

A Rotherham Boys’ Brigade volunteer who left four young boys traumatised for life by years of sex abuse has been jailed for 23 years.

Darren Swift is serving the first day of his sentence for 43 offences today – even though two of his mentally scarred victims had reported his vile actions in 1997.

Swift, aged 51, now of Telford, Shropshire, was convicted of five counts of buggery, 26 counts of indecent assault and 12 counts of indecency with a child between 1980 and 1997 after a trial last year.

Sheffield Crown Court was told South Yorkshire Police had told Swift they ‘wouldn’t do anything about it’ if he admitted his crimes.

Her Honour Judge Jacqueline Davies said of the 1997 investigation: “I ordered a report about the lack of police action, which I find deeply concerning.

“It causes me considerable concern and that concern of mine needs to be passed onto the police.

“We heard from two of the complainants about how they made statements. The defendant was interviewed and he said the police told him if he admits it they won’t do anything about it.

“It was an inappropriate thing to have said to him and in the current climate it causes me more concern.”

Church-goer Swift, who uses an electric wheelchair and appeared in court via a video link, began abusing young boys as a teenager.

His first victim was just eight years old. Swift bonded with him through a shared interest in collecting beer mats before luring him into his bedroom and sexually abusing him.

Judge Davies said: “He was told not to tell anyone and he complied with that but was deeply troubled when he grew up.”

His second victim was 11 and a member of the Boys’ Brigade in Rotherham, with which Swift was involved.

“He went to your home and you indecently assaulted him,” said Judge Davies.

“He never returned but the impact on him was serious.

“He told no one because of the threats you uttered to him.” Swift’s other two victims were both aged about nine and were abused over a six or seven year period.

The Baptist-turned-Mormon met one of the children after befriending his father at church.

He began abusing the other boy after pretending to help his mother by taking him to activities such as ice hockey and taekwondo.

He may have no unsupervised contact with children under 16 indefinitely and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

October 2014

Rotherham youth group volunteer guilty of abusing four boys

A Rotherham youth group volunteer who abused four boys over the course of 17 years has been found guilty of 43 sexual offences.

Darren Swift, who is now of Lawrence Road, Telford, Shropshire, carried out his campaign of abuse between 1980 and 1997 while working at various local sporting clubs and youth groups in Rotherham.

He was found guilty by a jury at Doncaster Crown Court of 26 counts of indecent assault, 12 counts of indecency and five counts of buggery following a two-week trial.

One count of buggery was discarded during the trial.

The charges relate to four boys who were aged between eight and 14 when the abuse took place.

Detective Constable Ian Hampshire who lead the investigation said: “Each victim was subjected to years of abuse by this man who was a trusted member of the local community.

“He held several positions of trust for various community groups, where he met and effectively groomed these vulnerable young boys for sexual purposes.

“I am pleased with the verdict reached today and I pay tribute to the victims who had the courage to come forward and disclose their ordeal.

“It is difficult to comprehend the strength it will have taken each victim to report this abuse to police years after it took place.

“Because Swift continually denied his guilt, each victim was forced to relive their traumatic experience in front of a jury, which is further testament to their strength of character.

“I hope that for the victims, this marks the conclusion of years of torment for them and their families.

“The force remains committed to tackling child sexual exploitation and take any reports of sexual abuse, historic or current, very seriously.”

Swift has been remanded into custody and will be sentenced next year.