A paedophile teacher who was on a home visit sexually abused a boy who had offered to show him his model airplane collection.
Predator David Crowther, now 83, took advantage of the 11-year-old in the 1970s when he attended at his home. Leeds Crown Court heard on Tuesday that prolific offender Crowther, of Oakdale Crescent in Huddersfield, then “positioned” the boy against the wall in his bedroom and indecently assaulted him.
His Honour Judge Crowson said the victim “has an abiding memory of the stench of your breath” while the attack took place. Crowther was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault and one count of indecency with a child following a trial last year.
In 2019, he was jailed for three years and seven months more than 30 years after sexually abusing two teenagers he had groomed through a Leeds church choir. LeedsLive reported at the time that he took the boys – who were 13 and 14 at the time – on days out and bought them gifts before going on to sexually abuse them.
It was said in court on Tuesday that Crowther had been fined at Leeds Magistrates’ Court in the 1970s for a number of offences against boys under the ages of 14 and 16.
David Crowther, from Huddersfield was previously jailed in 2019
(Image: West Yorkshire Police)
Prosecutor Sohail Khan said: “The context of this offending [that Crowther fell to be sentenced for on Tuesday] was that he [the victim] offered to show Mr Crowther what he had in terms of model airplanes in his bedroom. The isolation of his bedroom was then used by Mr Crowther for this abuse to be perpetrated…
“You will recall the question of his bad character and convictions around the same period of time in the early 1970s did feature in the trial. By his own admission in evidence, with there being no official record available because of the age of that offending, his offending in 1974 involved him wrestling with schoolboys and he claimed to have touched them outside of their trousers.
“The sentence he received for those matters – namely a fine – is indicative of low level offending. The present matter was committed close to that period but was more serious.”
Mitigating, Nicholas Hammond said an email from Crowther’s public protection officer showed that since his release from prison there had been no issues with him. Crowther is already subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and lifelong notification requirements.
Mr Hammond said: “There is a medical report from a doctor which highlights the defendant’s health problems. I can see where the doctor forms the conclusion that his health problems could be managed in a prison environment and perhaps the reality of that report being uploaded is that it confirms that in the last 18 months he has been admitted to hospital on eight occasions.
“I have uploaded the prison medical records from his custodial sentence in 2019. While the doctor indicated that his conditions could be managed in prison, the situation in prison is not quite as straight forward as the doctor believes. It is clear from these records there were some difficulties in accommodating these issues when he was in custody on the last occasion.”
The court was told Crowther is a low risk to children and “now presents as a man who is frail and is, in effect, housebound”.
Judge Crowson jailed Crowther for two years and four months. He said it was a “consequence” of Crowther’s image being published in 2019 that the victim in this case came forward. The judge said: “In his video interview, he said this: ‘I would imagine it is as much of a curse for him as it is for others on the other side like myself. I don’t feel vengeful, I just want it on the record this happened’.
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“He went on to say he felt some guilt for staying quiet. He has nothing at all to feel guilty about and demonstrated tremendous courage for coming forward when he did and giving evidence the way he did.”
Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Emma Maltas, of Leeds District Safeguarding, said: “Crowther committed a huge betrayal of trust while visiting the victim’s home, sexually abusing him in his own bedroom while his parents were downstairs.
“This was a terrifying ordeal for a young boy to endure at the time and was something that had a lasting traumatic impact on him that he has had to carry with him throughout his adult life. We hope that the victim will gain some sense of closure from knowing Crowther has now been brought to justice for the harm his actions did to him, both at the time and over the years that followed.
“West Yorkshire Police will always treat any allegations of this nature seriously, and we hope that the successful outcome of this investigation will give other victims of similar offences the confidence to come forward knowing they will be listened to and supported.”
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