Perverted scout leader jailed for 10 years

A scout leader who sexually abused two cubs and made one of hem pose naked inside the troop’s church hall base was jailed for 10 years.

Ian Barker, 61, attacked the lads while helping out at a scout group in Camden, north London, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Baker made one of the boys pose naked in a cupboard during a group meet at All Hallows in Savernake Road, Blackfriars Crown Court heard.

The victim told jurors he was sexually assaulted by Barker in a field while on camp, as other cubs slept in their tents.

The boy also said Barker singled him out for ‘special treatment’ and pretended he was coaching him to win badges.

After the victim completed his evidence Barker admitted one count of indecent assault with penetration on a boy aged under 14, one of indecent assault on a boy aged under 14, and four counts of indecency with children.

Barker, of Queen’s Head Street, Islington, was in his late teens while the boys he attacked were under 14.

He had denied the allegations when he was first interviewed in May 2015.

DC Richard Bolton, the investigating officer from the Central North Command Unit’s Safeguarding team, said:

‘These convictions represent justice for two victims who have been living with this trauma for decades.

‘Barker is a dangerous offender who preyed on vulnerable young people. I would like to thank the victims for their courage in reporting this matter to the police after so many years. No one should suffer abuse, particularly at the hands of someone responsible for looking after them.’
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