Former clown, 88, who thought abusing boys was ‘normal’ will die behind bars
A paedophile who serially abused children while working as a clown, teacher and swimming coach in the 1970s is expected to die behind bars.
George Holden, 88, abused two boys from a school where his wife worked in Chesterfield, Derbyshire on 17 occasions.
He subjected the pair to this over a four-year period while they were aged between seven and 11.
While teaching swimming at a local leisure centre, the ‘manipulative’ predator would abuse the boys during their lessons.
Afterwards, he would offer to dry them off in the changing room before performing sex acts on them.
He also abused one of the boys one summer in Skegness, where he was working as a clown while the boy was on holiday with his family.
At Holden’s trial, his barrister said the 88-year-old’s experience of boarding school as a child led him to believe such abuse was ‘entirely normal’.
Derby Crown Court heard he was previously convicted for abusing pupils at a school for partially-sighted children in the 1960s as well as other boys at the same leisure centre in the 1970s.
The offences – committed against 11 victims – came to light in the 1980s but he was never jailed, instead receiving a community order.
Prosecutor Julia King said the latest case against him began after one of the victims saw him in Chesterfield’s town centre.
She told the court: ‘The defendant did it quite clearly to other boys as well.
‘It was done openly in that sense, but he makes it clear there were no other adults [present].’
As well as the abuse in the leisure centre and Skegness, he would also invite the boys to his house while his wife was at work and show them pornography before inciting them into sex acts with him.
Ms King said he effectively ‘groomed’ their parents into trusting him with their children, who were left feeling ‘dirty and ashamed’.
The victims said they still suffered flashbacks of the abuse and were unable to trust people in positions of authority with children.
Mitigating, Stuart Lody accepted Holden’s abuse was ‘prolific’ but said he stopped after conversations with a probation officer, a psychotherapist and a local vicar made him realise it was wrong.
Sentencing Holden to 13 years in jail, Judge Robert rejected his excuses, telling him: ‘I do not accept that you for one moment thought your behaviour was normal.
‘You knew what you were doing from the outset was wrong and targeted young children, groomed them and then abused them. You clearly knew what you were doing was wrong, illegal and a criminal act.’
Mr Lody said his client, whose health is failing, has ‘said goodbye to his wife’ and ‘fully expects he will die in prison, probably sooner rather than later’.
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