There could be more victims of West Midlands Police paedophile officer, solicitor warns
A solicitor representing a victim of a paedophile police officer says the number of victims identified may have only ‘scratched the surface’.
Allan Richards was jailed last year for 22 years for sexually exploiting 17 boys across the West Midlands over four decades by abusing his role as a constable.
Cyrilia Davies Knight, of civil liberties specialists Hudgell Solicitors, believes it is ‘highly likely’ there were more victims than those who formed part of the criminal cases against Richards.
She is starting a legal case against West Midlands Police on behalf of one of Richards' victims.
West Midlands Police twice failed to stop Richards – a former Scout master –despite complaints being made. He continued to offend.
“We have serious concerns that there may still be many people out there who were victims of Richards and have still not come forward,” said Ms Davies Knight.
"That means they are still to receive any form of relevant and probably much needed support, and are still coping alone.
“It was only last year that officers from West Midlands Police contacted our client and told him some other victims had come forward. He has, quite understandably, been badly affected by what happened to him and it has had a huge impact on his life to this date, and will do for the foreseeable future.
“He was contacted as the police had put Richards’ details through the database to see which cases he had worked on. That is when our client’s name came up. This is far from a complete record of the young boys Richards came into contact with though over many years.
“The judge in court described him as someone who would have been a predator for the whole of his adult life, and therefore someone who would likely find a way to get to young victims in many ways, such as through his position as a scout leader.
“It is clear from supporting our client that Richards relied on his position as a police officer to frighten his victims and intimidate them into never speaking out. Our client would not have come forward. He simply didn’t feel he could.
“Many people would also perhaps feel unable to come forward and face the trauma of giving evidence in court as our client, and others, so bravely did.
“It is likely that the trials therefore may have only have scratched the surface in terms of identifying the true number of victims.”
Ms Davies Knight 's client had been introduced to Richards having already been the victim of a rape.
Rather than providing support in his role as a police sergeant, Richards abused him and threatened to ‘make his family disappear’ if he did not do as he said.
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “The abuse was something I had locked away inside me for almost 20 years. I couldn’t talk about it and it was very difficult giving evidence for the trial.
“I am glad I gave evidence but others may have not felt able to come forward. It’s not easy to deal with and I don’t trust many people now. You lose trust, and again, that can stop you from speaking out.”
Richards, of Thaxted Road, Tile Cross, Birmingham was convicted last October of carrying out nine indecent assaults against six boys aged 11 to 15 at camps, swimming baths and other locations between 1982 and 2003.
He had already been found guilty earlier in the year of a further 31 sex offences against other boys, including two rapes, going back to the 1970s.
