Former scout leader jailed for sexual crimes against children

A former scout leader has been jailed for non-recent sexual crimes against children after two brave victims came forward.

Jonathan Withey, 42, of Tindall Close, Chilwell, met the two victims, a boy and a girl, at a scout camp in 1997.

Withey was 16 years old when he met the two children.

Both victims were in their early teens when they met the former scout leader and were subjected to sexual abuse for several years at the hands of Withey, with the girl suffering for four years and the boy for three.

Police Investigator Kerry Humphreys, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Withey abused his position of trust as a Scout leader to prey upon these children over a long period of time.

“He must have thought after all these years he had got away with his offending. However, he underestimated the bravery of his victims and the determination of officers to bring him to justice.

“Withey continued to deny his offending and subjected his victims to a court trial. Throughout the proceedings, he has not expressed any remorse about the ordeal they have gone through.

“He is a devious and predatory sex offender whose offending has unsurprisingly had a very significant impact on these two victims. As Withey prepares to spend a lengthy period behind bars, I’d like to personally thank them for their bravery in coming forward.

“Withey would have remained a danger to any children he came into contact with if they had not spoken out about what happened."

Following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, Withey was found guilty of two counts of rape, three indecent assaults, six counts of indecency with a child and two counts of sexual intercourse with a girl under 13.

On 1 September Withey was jailed for a total of 16 years with a further one year to serve on licence. He will be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Detective Sergeant Adam Taylor added: “Nothing is more important to the force than the safety and wellbeing of children.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in bringing this man to justice and hope this case serves to encourage other victims to come forward.”