Former Scout master Martyn Tucker – alleged to be part of a secret paedophile ring in the 1970s – has been jailed for 12 years.
Mold Crown Court heard how Tucker, of Sealand Road in Chester, knew his day of judgement would come, particularly when the Jimmy Savile scandal came out.
Police finally knocked on his door last summer after one of the victims – who said Tucker, 68, stole his soul – had the courage to come forward after he realised that those prosecuted for sex offences in Wrexham children’s homes went back further than the offences committed on him when he was a boy.
Tucker said that he wanted to come clear and admitted he had done things in the past that he did regret.
It emerged in court that the Scout movement was told of the abuse allegations in the 1970s and while it took statements from a number of boys, the police were never informed.
Officers investigating the matter last year were able to recover those statements from the Scout movement headquarters.
The court heard how the defendant abused Scouts when he was assistant scout master of the Whitchurch scout troop.
He also abused others while the manager of the Foster’s menswear in the town, taking boys to the shop’s changing rooms.
Tucker also took victims to Bristol where he instructed them to indulge in sex acts with another unknown man.
While on a canoe weekend in Llangollen he was joined by an unknown primary school teacher who also indulged in sex acts with the Scouts.
He would visit a farm in Flintshire, owned by a member of the defendant’s family at the time, for outdoor activities.
But the defendant and the teacher abused Scouts there.
Tucker, who worked for the former Alyn and Deeside and Delyn Councils before working as a legal executive dealing in social welfare issues for various Chester solicitors, admitted a total of 26 sexual offences.
The charges originally included male rape but prosecuting barrister John Philpotts told the court that male rape was not known to the criminal law at the time the offences were committed.
Tucker admitted 12 charges of indecent assault on young boys, nine charges of indecency with a child, and five charges of another illegal sexual act.
The offences date from 1968 to 1978 on five victims, all young teenagers.
Judge Niclas Parry jailed him for 12 years, ordered him to register as a sex offender for life, and banned him from ever working with children again.
He told him that the offences involved a grave betrayal of the trust placed in him.
Tucker, he said, got himself into a position where he could exercise control and power over his victims.
There had been “a deliberate, calculated, sophisticated grooming process” to “fulfil your thirst for excitement and thrill seeking” at the expense of his victims.
Victims were taken on outdoor expeditions involving overnight stays which parents quite innocently and trustingly agreed to because of who he was.
“You created safe locations to offend against them, you exploited your power for your own sexual gratification, and showed a total disregard for their physical and psychological well being,” he said.
“You arranged to be alone with them out of reach of those who could ensure their safety.”
Some of the boys had been in extreme pain, the defendant was said to be domineering and Judge Parry said the incidents in which other adults had been involved were “extremely grave”.
Some victims had since been unable to trust their fellow human beings, and one victim had told how the defendant’s acts had set him on a path of self hatred and self destruction.
Judge Parry said that the offences took place between 36 and 46 years ago and only came to light last year as a sea-change in attitude towards historical sexual offences had taken place.
“These matters only came to light because of publicity arising from other high profile cases,” he said.
He had caused severe psychological harm to at least one victim, there had been a significant degree of planning, it occurred on a regular basis, it was a great breach of trust and there had been multiple victims.
The defendant had also shown some of his victims pornographic material.
But it was accepted that he had not committed any offences for 36 years, had led an industrious life, supported his family including a severely disabled step-son and had raised thousands of pounds for charity.
Stephen Edwards, defending, said: “He knew that one day judgement day would come. Judgement day has come today.”
He made immediate admissions to the police who arrested him and told them he had been waiting for it to happen.
In his interview, Tucker said: “I have been waiting for this, particularly since the Jimmy Savile stuff came out. I hoped it would never happen but I knew that one day it would. I deeply regret what I did then. I have lived with it. I ruined my life and I ruined others.”
Mr Edwards said that his immediate guilty pleas were a genuine indication of his true remorse.
“He is genuinely contrite and sorry for his appalling behaviour and the effect it has had on their lives,” he said.
One victim who read his own victim impact statement to the court nodded as the defendant was led away to start his sentence.
Abuser 'stole my soul' says victim
A man in his 50s told a court how his abuser had “stolen his soul”.
The man – who used a relatively new procedure to read his own victim impact statement at Mold Crown Court – told how defendant Martyn Tucker had set him on a path of self-hatred and self-destruction.
He had “lived in a fog” because of what had happened to him when he was aged about 12 and 13.
The man, who cannot be publicly identified, said that he had lost all hope, and added “I am still lost.”
He was the only victim to attend today’s hearing when Tucker received 12 years.
The man sat at the side of the court and often stared at the defendant, who sat in the dock looking straight ahead.
After the prosecution case had been opened by prosecuting barrister John Philpotts, he went into the witness box and told Judge Niclas Parry: “Please bear with me. I have never done anything like this before.
“At the time these offences were committed, I was maybe 12 or 13 of age and they destroyed my life.
“Looking back, I never had a chance.
“The damage to me physiologically was buried so deep my didn’t realise it was there and how destructive it had been, until I came forward and had session with a therapist.
“At the time and for some years after I had never put a foot wrong.
“In my future I never seemed to put a foot right.
“This man stole my soul and set me on a path of self-hatred and self destruction that persisted for years.
“I lived in a fog and cared for no one let alone myself.
“I drifted into drugs and all that involves.
“I had no direction.
“My family were wonderful and they tried to help me but I could never talk about the underlying cause.”
He went on: “I had my future stolen, the ability to form meaningful relationships was beyond me. I could never hope to have a wife and kids and I couldn’t look after myself.
“To this day I am still lost.
“I don’t know what impact these proceedings will have on my mental state, maybe closure will help. I hope so, as nothing else has.”
He had been unable to work and had been homeless for many years.
“It was terrible,” he said.
He had a fear of authority and could not bear anyone telling him what to do.
The man told how it had been a long time before he could make a complaint – he had done a lot of soul searching before coming forward.
John Philpotts, prosecuting, said that the man approached Cheshire police in 2012 and made a complaint of historical sex abuse.
He was video interviewed.
“He said that he was aware from media reports, particularly from the Wrexham area, that convictions had been secured in cases of historical sex abuse older than the incidents he was about to relate.
“Consequently, he had realised that time was not really an issue in making such complaints and, having discussed it with his GP, he had been advised that making a complaint might assist him. So he decided to do so.”
Another man in his 40s told in a statement how it was traumatic and frightening at the time but he had put the matters behind him and suppressed his thoughts about it over the years.
But a third said how the defendant’s acts had caused him “considerable physical and emotional problems” including low self-esteem, a lack of confidence and it affected his concentration. He had been through difficult times but had access to counselling.
He found that he could not trust other men and some years later panicked when he saw the defendant in Chester.
The man said that it had affected his sleep and he had been unable to mention it to anyone until the proceedings.
