The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A man who has spent the last 40 years living in a world of fear after suffering sexual abuse as a child says he can finally look forward now his attacker is behind bars.
From the age of ten until he was 17, Stuart Brown (49) was the victim of more than 100 assaults at the hand of former Lincolnshire Police officer and scout leader John Bates.
The horrific attacks only stopped when Bates was jailed for four years in 1983 for assaults on 11 other victims. At the time Stuart was too frightened to speak up about what had happened to him.
On Friday, Bates was handed a second jail sentence – this time for the maximum 20 years for historical assaults on four boys, including Stuart.
Stuart, of Weston Hills, first met Bates in 1976 when he was the leader of a Spalding scout troop. Stuart’s father was assistant scout leader and the two became close friends.
He said: “Bates became like a member of the family and the abuse started quite soon after that. I was ten at the time. It was a classic case of grooming.
“He took any opportunity to abuse me, sometimes while wearing his police or scout uniform.
“This was a man who I’d considered to be an authority figure and a friend of the family – I trusted him.”
Stuart finally found the courage to make a complaint against Bates in 1999 but was told by police there was nothing they could do because he’d already served time for similar offences, therefore the Crown Prosecution Service wouldn’t prosecute him.
So Stuart continued to bury the abuse he had suffered until in 2012 he was wrongfully arrested and ended up spending 14 hours in a police cell.
He said: “Suddenly I was surrounded by police uniforms and it all came flooding back. I made a statement and the case was about to go to court when the other victims came forward.
“It was put back two and a half years to gather evidence, which was really hard for me because by then I’d dredged up all these terrible memories that I’d hidden for years.”
Stuart says he couldn’t have managed without the support of his fiancee Julie, his therapist and some great friends.
He said: “The flashbacks are one of the hardest things to cope with but the counselling has helped.
“Now the trial is over I can have another type of counselling which I’m hoping will really help me.
“It’s time to start a new chapter in my life.”
Of the 22 charges Bates faced, 12 related to Stuart and he was found guilty on nine of them.
Stuart added: “It was a huge relief when he was found guilty because it meant I was believed.
“Because the abuse happened before the law changed in 2013, the maximum sentence Bates could get was 20 years, which is what the judge gave him. He will also be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
“The judge handled the case brilliantly and did all he could to ensure that Bates was given the maximum sentence.
“I sincerely hope that this new sentence goes some way to help those who felt short-changed in 1983 and if there are any other victims out there this gives them the courage to come forward.”
