BREAKING: Scout leader jailed was 'paedophile hiding in plain sight' after abusing boys as young as 7

Paedophile erstwhile scout person Ian Silvester has been jailed for 16 years aft helium was recovered to person abused boys arsenic young arsenic 7 implicit the people of 3 decades

A paedophile erstwhile scout person who was "hiding successful plain sight" has been jailed for 16 years aft sexually abusing boys arsenic young arsenic 7 implicit astir 3 decades.

Ian Silvester befriended young victims and their families done roles including arsenic a diving instructor, St John Ambulance trainer, archetypal assistance trainer and babysitter betwixt 1986 and 2013. The 60-year-old, who lives successful Brighton, manipulated the children nether the guise of playing an guiltless crippled oregon taking portion successful an acquisition enactment for his ain intersexual gratification, prosecutors said.

He was convicted of assaulting 19 boys aft a proceedings astatine Lewes Crown Court. Sentencing today, Judge Christine Laing KC told Silvester: "You are the precise explanation of a paedophile hiding successful plain sight."

The justice said the suspect had fixed his victims a "lifetime of shame and regret", telling the tribunal the maltreatment happened truthful "openly and plainly and truthful often successful beforehand of others". She added: "The information is, you were successful a presumption of spot with each boy. Either arsenic their babysitter, their cub scout master, their diving coach, a supplier of archetypal assistance training, claiming to conscionable them to signifier to beryllium victims, and your behaviour was a gross maltreatment of that trust."

Silvester was jailed for 16 years, with an further six years connected extended licence. He was recovered blameworthy of 44 counts of indecent battle connected a male, 25 counts of intersexual enactment with a child, 4 counts of intersexual assault, 2 counts of inciting a kid to prosecute successful intersexual activity, 2 counts of intersexual battle of a kid nether 13 and 2 counts of making indecent photos of children.

After helium was arrested, indecent images of children and photos and videos of his victims being assaulted by Silvester were recovered connected his devices seized by constabulary from his home. The justice made an bid for the forfeiture and demolition of the material.

Emma Lile, specializer authoritative for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Ian Silvester's crimes are peculiarly disturbing fixed the assorted roles helium held implicit galore years wherever helium was entrusted with the work of caring for and safeguarding children. He abused these positions successful the worst imaginable mode and took vantage of young boys. Silvester tried to assertion that what helium was doing was innocent, denying that his behaviour was sexually motivated."

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