Ex-scout leader found guilty of child sexual offences after 27 years on run

A former scout leader and school housemaster has been found guilty of numerous sexual offences against young boys after spending 27 years on the run using a stolen identity.

Richard Burrows, 80, was found guilty of 54 offences at Chester Crown Court on Monday, including indecent assault of boys, buggery, attempted buggery and indecency with a child, according to Cheshire Police.

The court heard Burrows systematically abused 24 young boys across the Cheshire, West Midlands and West Mercia areas between 1968 and 1995 while working as a scout leader and housemaster in a children’s home.

In emails found since his arrest, Burrows described spending nearly the past three decades as “living in paradise” after going on the run in 1997 and eventually living in Thailand.

Burrows, of HMP Altcourse, had already pleaded guilty to another 43 offences, including indecent assault of boys, making indecent images of children, possession of indecent images of children and four counts of possession of false identity documents with intent, at an earlier hearing.

He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on April 7 for the 97 offences.

His offending in Cheshire occurred between 1969 and 1971 while he was employed as a housemaster looking after vulnerable children at Danesford Children’s Home in Congleton.

His victims in the West Midlands and West Mercia areas were also all young boys who were abused between 1968 and 1995, the majority through local Scout groups where Burrows worked as a leader.

In each case, he befriended the victims by using his position of trust over them and their personal interests, such as radio communications or boating. After gaining their trust, and in many cases the trust of their families, Burrows then went on to sexually abuse the boys, police said.

It was not until the 1990s, following revelations in relation to offences at other children’s homes and institutions, that many of the victims had the confidence to come forward, Cheshire Police said.

Following the allegations in relation to the offences at Danesford Children’s Home, a large-scale investigation was launched by Cheshire Police in 1994.

Burrows was initially arrested in April 1997 and charged in May 1997 with two counts of buggery and 11 counts of indecent assault in relation to the offences in Cheshire and some in the West Midlands.

After his first appearance at magistrates’ courts, he was released on bail but failed to attend a further hearing at Chester Crown Court on December 8 1997.

Attempts to locate him included several police appeals and four Crimewatch appeals on national television, and while police were given numerous leads, none of which indicated Burrows had left the country.

In April 2023 detectives from Cheshire Police’s serious and organised crime unit used specialist software to search for any possible images of Burrows online.

The search found a match for a man using the name of Peter Smith who was living in Chalong in Phuket, Thailand.

Smith had an active interest in sailing and had worked at an advertising company in Phuket, with his retirement covered by local news media in 2019, police said.

Detectives discovered Burrows had stolen the name Peter Smith from an acquaintance who was terminally ill, which allowed him to fraudulently obtain a genuine passport in 1997 and leave the country without detection.

After confirming that ‘Peter’ was in fact Burrows, officers contacted the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and began the process to extradite him back to the UK.

Before that process was formally commenced, officers became aware of Burrows’ intention to return to the UK travelling under his Peter Smith alias.

The NCA informed Thai authorities and monitored his travel back to the UK where he was arrested at Heathrow airport last March.

Burrows was charged with further offences in Cheshire, the West Midlands and West Mercia which had been reported after he disappeared, police said.

After his conviction, Detective Inspector Eleanor Atkinson, who had led the investigation, said the force’s determination to locate Burrows had not “faltered”.

Ms Atkinson said: “It is clear that he is a prolific sex offender. He systematically abused his victims, specifically targeting vulnerable boys in order to fulfil his own sexual gratification.

“Following his initial charges in 1997, Burrows knew he was guilty but rather than face the consequences of his actions, he acted like a coward and fled the country using a stolen identity taken from an unwell man.

“In emails that we have found since his arrest, Burrows described how he has spent the past three decades ‘living in paradise’, while his victims have all been left to suffer as they struggled to try and rebuild their lives.

“Thankfully, following our determination, he has finally been held accountable for his actions and is now behind bars where he belongs.

“It was clear throughout his trial that he did not feel remorse and had not thought at any point while living abroad about the impact his abuse had on his young victims.

“While his victims will never be able to forget what happened to them, I hope that the fact that Burrows has now been held accountable will finally provide them with some closure. Sadly, four of his victims have now passed away and so did not get to see justice served.

“I also hope that this case acts as a warning to any other wanted suspects – demonstrating that no matter how long you hide, we will find you and you will be held accountable.”

Police said anyone with information to share about Burrows should go to website: mipp.police.uk/operation/07CH23D51.

Samantha Thompson, a specialist prosecutor in the organised child sexual abuse unit in the CPS, said Burrows was an “unrepentant paedophile who used his position of trust to sexually abuse boys”.

She added: “When faced with a trial and public exposure he fled to Thailand.

“His victims suffered horrendous abuse made worse by many of them not being able to tell anyone for fear that they would not be believed. This was borne out in some cases where boys did speak up but were dismissed, and Burrows was able to move on.

“But this case shows that neither the police nor the CPS are deterred by the passage of time, and we will do all we can to bring sex offenders to justice.”

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said Burrows had “repeatedly exploited positions of trust he had gained in the community” to sexually abuse boys.

A spokesperson said: “In 1997 he went on the run, evading justice for almost 30 years and causing even more pain to those who suffered at his hands.

“We hope that Burrows finally facing justice for his terrible crimes will provide a measure of relief and comfort for those he abused and their families.

“It is never too late for survivors of sexual abuse to speak out and to get help. We would encourage anyone who has experienced abuse, no matter who the perpetrator was or when it took place, to reach out and seek any support they might need.”