Sex beast Cub Scout leader jailed for life

But despite his guilt the police today refused to provide a picture of the man who committed offences so sickening they cannot be described in a family newspaper.

Francis admitted 15 charges of indecent assault involving boys and girls, two serious sex offences against boys, two further indecency allegations and two charges of having indecent images of youngsters.

West Yorkshire Police claim printing his picture may lead to attacks against his family and is not in the interests of justice.

This was a man who had been convicted of abusing a child while serving in the army in the 1970s and was still able to take charge of a Cub Scout pack.

Yesterday afternoon, the Honorary Recorder of Bradford, Judge Stephen Gullick, said Francis was a danger to children and was likely to strike again when he is released - possibly in just five-and-a-half years.

"You are likely to commit further offences in the future and you are a danger to children. You need to be closely followed up after release from custody," Judge Gullick said at Bradford Crown Court.

Today it emerged that Francis was a Cub Scout leader since 1985 and yet no checks picked up his previous conviction.

Francis, 48, admitted a string of sex offences against young girls and boys.

He already had a conviction in 1973 for assaulting a young boy when he was serving in the Army. But he was able to hide this and join the Scouts.

He was only suspended earlier this year after indecent photographs of two young girls were found at his home.

Today a spokesperson for the Scout Association, said: "We are not in a position to do retrospective check-ups. We are checking newcomers and for the last 20 years our existing procedures should have picked up anyone who came to us with a criminal record."

The fact that Francis, of Ben Rhydding, Ilkley, was convicted by a military court could have meant the information was not in the public domain, she said.

A psychiatric report on Francis said he was attracted to both boys and girls and had turned his victims into sex objects.

He pleaded guilty to the string of sex offences on five boys and three girls dating back from 1974 through to the late 1980s.

Jailing him, Judge Gullick said: "The offences themselves are extremely serious offences committed against young children between the ages of about seven to 12.

"In my judgement they are sufficiently serious to justify a long prison sentence."

Today Angela Maguire, children's services manager for NSPCC north, said: "We welcome the court's decision to act in such a strong and determined manner in such appalling crimes against children."

Prosecutor Sara Barlow described how Francis, a former water board worker, indecently touched young girls and would carry out sex offences against some of the boys after taking them with him on visits to sewerage works.

Francis's barrister, Fiona Dix-Dyer, said he had not carried out any offences while on Cub Scout trips.

None of the victims can be identified for legal reasons, but Miss Barlow said they had suffered problems with their own relationships as a result of the repeated abuse when they were younger.

She described how one victim felt guilty and responsible for her abuse until she finally contacted the Childline organisation when she was 21.

Francis' activities finally came to light when he was arrested and questioned in April this year about his possession of indecent photographs of young children.

As a result of that inquiry the police were contacted by his victims and he was charged with a series of sex offences.

Miss Dix-Dyer said her client believed he had an insight into how he had ruined the lives of his victims and had found it very hard to come to terms with what he had done.

She said his only real mitigation was his guilty pleas which had meant the victims were spared the ordeal of having to relive the offences.

Judge Gullick imposed a life sentence on the two most serious charges with concurrent prison terms for the other sex offences.

He told Francis that he would not be able to apply for parole until he had served at least five-and-a-half years, but he stressed that any release from prison would ultimately be a matter for the Home Secretary.

Following any future release Francis would have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

He said it was apparent that Francis was likely to commit further offences of the same nature in the future and was a danger to children.

"I accept of course that by virtue of your pleas of guilty you have saved those you have abused so badly having to give evidence in public before a criminal court," he added.

"However in my judgement the only appropriate sentence in your case is life imprisonment."

"Astonishingly, police don't believe you need to know what he looks like - even though he could be out in less than six years".... T&A opinion