Paedophile Pc Allan Richards STILL yet to be stripped of lucrative pension
A paedophile police officer is still receiving his lucrative pension nearly a year after he was convicted of 40 offences against young boys.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson has revealed he has made an application to the Home Office to allow him to strip the former Pc Allan Richards of the payments.
But no decision has yet been made.
Richards, currently serving a 22-year prison sentence, faces losing up to 65 per cent of his pension, the total of which is believed to be worth in the region of £25,000-a-year.
Richards, previously of Thaxted Road, Tile Cross, Birmingham, was found guilty of 40 sexual offences against a total of 23 boys – including 17 who were abused and exploited.
WATCH one of Allan Richards' victims speak out:
He used his role as a police officer and a scout master to target vulnerable youngsters.
The law allows officers to be stripped of their pensions if convicted of crimes linked to their police work.
Richards served with West Midlands Police between 1981 and 2011 – clocking up a full 30 years service.
He was a constable and a member of Birmingham CID investigating some of the most serious crimes.
Based on a final salary of £40,000, Richards would be entitled to around £25,000-a-year through his police pension.
His offending spanned from 1976 to 2013 and he was convicted last October after two trials at Birmingham Crown Court. He denied all the charges.
A spokesman for the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner said: “An application has been made to the Home Office to allow the PCC to seize Allan Richard’s pension.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “Where police officers are convicted of an offence which is connected to their service, the law allows for a Police and Crime Commissioner to apply to forfeit an officer’s pension.”
West Midlands Police issued a public apology last year after it was revealed the force twice failed to take action against Richards despite complaints about his behaviour.
A top civil liberties lawyer also believes it is ‘highly likely’ there were more victims than those who formed part of the criminal cases against Richards.
Cyrilia Davies Knight, of Hudgell Solicitors, is starting a legal case against the force on behalf of one of Richards’ victims.
“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.”
