Douglas Anthony Whitelam paedophile sex offender
Douglas Anthony Whitelam paedophile sex offender

Douglas Anthony Whitelam, a paedophile scout leader from Derbyshire, sexually molested two young boys over several years, intoxicating one of them with alcohol before to committing sexual acts, resulting in the victim developing alcoholism. A trial revealed that paedophile Douglas Anthony Whitelam, a former Rolls-Royce employee, compelled the victims to engage in sexual contact with him, and he reciprocated on numerous occasions.

The 70-year-old recently divorced father of two was apprehended after one victim disclosed his childhood abuse in 2016, followed by a second victim who came forward two years later; however, Douglas Anthony Whitelam refuted the allegations. Consequently, both were had to recount their experiences during a trial.

Judge Martin Hurst sentenced the defendant, Hilton, to 13 years in prison, stating: “(The first victim) endured considerable psychological harm due to your actions.” You intentionally secluded him, brought him into your bedroom, and evidently manipulated him.

“The psychological impact on (the second victim) has been severe, your behaviour took place over a sustained period of time and he was particularly vulnerable. It seems to me your latent homosexuality was the root cause of this and you felt unable to reveal it to either your ex-wife or your children.”

Robert Underwood, prosecuting, said Douglas Anthony Whitelam was a teenager himself when he targeted the first young victim when he was on a five-year apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce in Derby. But by the time he abused the second boy in the 1990s he was involved in the scout movement in the city.

Mr Underwood read out two victim impact statements made by the boys Douglas Anthony Whitelam abused and whose identity is protected by law. In his, the first said: “The impact this has had on my life has been devastating.

“Plying me with alcohol was the start of my alcoholism which has stopped me from holding down a job and a number of sexual relationships. The memories of what he did to me will stay with me for the rest of my life. No sentence can be long enough.”

The second victim, in his impact statement, said: “He deserves everything he gets and I have no bad feelings about him going to prison. He totally ruined my life from a young age.

“His huge facade was him being a pillar of the community and a scout leader, he’s an absolute fraud. His sexual abuse of me took away my trust and caused profound mental issues,”

Douglas Anthony Whitelam was initially on trial in 2021 but a jury failed to reach verdicts and were discharged. Then, following a five-day retrial trial, in March of this year at Derby Crown Court, Whitelam was found guilty of a number of counts of indecent assault on a boy aged under 14 and indecency with a child.

In 2003, Douglas Anthony Whitelam was an Assistant District Commission and was involved with the Derby North movement when he was handed a Medal of Merit by the Scouts.

Gregor Purcell, mitigating, said: “He is a man who is now 70 and is approaching his 71st birthday. He has his own family who have stood by him, they are present here today, they remain supportive and will remain supportive on his eventual release.

“He was given a life-saving award when he rescued a child from a swimming pool and he is someone who has provided support and remained an active member of the community.

“He is someone who, despite the offences he’s been convicted of, who throughout his later life has been a positive influence in the community, even though raping young boys.”

In a statement released after sentencing, a spokesman for the Scouts said: “We are aware of the case involving former Scout volunteer Douglas Anthony Whitelam. In 2017 the police informed us that some historical abuse allegations had been made against a former scout volunteer that had taken place in the 1970s and 1980s (and) we supported the police in their investigations.

“Douglas Anthony Whitelam has not been a member of the Scouts since 2005. Following this conviction, he will never again be able to volunteer with the Scout movement. There is no place in the movement for anyone who behaves in this way.

“Everyone at Scouts works to a strict code of practice to put young people first.”

Sergeant Mark Sharma, who was one of the officers who brought Douglas Anthony Whitelam to justice, said: “The trauma of the abuse caused by Tony Whitelam has had a lasting effect on both victims. Their bravery in coming forward and strength through this court case cannot be understated.

“At no point did Douglas Anthony Whitelam show any remorse or accept responsibility for his actions forcing his victims to give evidence twice in court further adding to their stress and anxiety. His sentence will hopefully give the victims some form of closure and encourage other victims of such abuse to come forward.

“Anybody who has suffered abuse, no matter when it has taken place, should know that we will always take those reports seriously and complete a thorough investigation to help bring those responsible to justice.”

As well as the prison sentence, Judge Hurst placed Whitelam on the sex offender register for life and handed him a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.


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