18 years' jail for sex abuse scoutmaster gets 18 years for Paedophile 17pt Gill Sans two decks

A paedophile scoutmaster who attacked young boys in his care was yesterday jailed for 18 years after being convicted of a string of serious sexual assaults.

Judge Michael Mott described David Stanley as a "predatory and aggressive paedophile" who had preyed on "vulnerable" young boys during his time with the scouts and as a youth worker at a residential children's home. A jury at Worcester Crown Court convicted Stanley, 49, of Telford, Shropshire, of six counts of buggery, two of attempted buggery, eight counts of indecent assault, and one charge of possessing pornographic photographs with a view to distributing them on the Internet.

Timothy Barnes QC, for the defence, told the court the offences had taken place in the 1970s when Stanley was a young man in his twenties. He had since married and had enjoyed a respectable family life with his wife and two children, who had to bear the humiliation and distress of his conviction.

The offences were committed against boys aged between 10 and 15, who were either scouts or boys at a privately run care home called Cotsbrook Hall in Shifnal, Shropshire, where Stanley worked as a care assistant. The home was owned by the company responsible for the Bryn Alyn home in Wrexham, north Wales, whose owner John Allen was jailed for six years for paedophile offences.