A church leader has been convicted of abusing four vulnerable young men over a period of more than 40 years. The individual, who served as a moderator and preacher at the London Baptist Association, was found guilty of carrying out 11 sexual attacks between 1970 and 2012.
The suspect, a 77-year-old man, had links to several churches and youth groups across the UK, including the Muswell Hill Baptist Church, Billingham Baptist Church in Stockton-on-Tees, Ward Green Baptist Church in Barnsley, and Broomsknoll Church of Scotland in Airdrie. Police believe there may be many more victims due to the nature of his offending and his lengthy association with the church.
The abuse began in 1994 when one of the victims, a young man who had moved into a shared house with the suspect, was pressured into receiving massages involving sexual touching. The victim reported feeling coerced and eventually moved out of the house in 1998, but the abuse continued until 2012, with the victim returning to the address in 1999.
Following the discovery of the abuse, police launched an extensive investigation, identifying additional victims and organisations connected to the suspect. The suspect was found to have systematically groomed vulnerable young men through coercive control and behaviour before sexually assaulting them.
The suspect was convicted at Wood Green Crown Court of three counts of sexual assault, six counts of indecent assault, and two counts of causing another person to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity. He was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on September 11.
A detective who led the investigation praised the courage and bravery shown by the victim-survivors in coming forward and putting their trust in the police. The detective emphasized that the conviction would not have been possible without the accounts provided by the victim-survivors, which helped identify the scale of the suspect's prolific offending.
The police have appealed for further victims to come forward, assuring them that they will be treated with dignity, compassion, and sensitivity at every step of the way.
