A man who assumed the identity of a terminally ill individual to escape justice for nearly thirty years has been found guilty of 54 counts of child sex abuse. Richard Burrows, described as a coward by the police, was convicted at Chester Crown Court after leaving his victims to suffer. His crimes spanned from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s, with Burrows admitting to some charges but denying others, only to be found guilty of all counts.
His abuse targeted boys as young as nine while working as a housemaster at a boarding school in Cheshire and as a scout leader in the West Midlands. Burrows, 80, evaded capture after missing his initial trial in 1997, only to be apprehended at Heathrow Airport last year. His crimes extended across different regions, with incidents reported in Cheshire, West Midlands, and surrounding areas. The prosecution highlighted the emotional trauma suffered by the victims, who endured the abuse in quiet moments at night.
Despite claiming innocence in his trial, Burrows admitted to fleeing to Thailand for leisure and financial reasons. James Harvey, one of his victims who bravely came forward, shared harrowing experiences of inappropriate advances made by Burrows during their time in the sea scouts. Authorities eventually tracked Burrows down in Thailand after an extensive search that lasted nearly three decades, exposing his fraudulent use of another person’s identity to escape justice.
Detectives, who tirelessly pursued Burrows for 27 years, finally brought him back to the UK to face the consequences of his actions. The perpetrators of these crimes, like Burrows, must be held accountable for the pain and suffering they have inflicted on their victims. The NSPCC condemned his actions, emphasizing his abuse of positions of trust within the community, and encouraged survivors of sexual abuse to seek support and speak out against their abusers
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