Old man found guilty of historic sex abuse in Bristol
The 82-year-old abused two teenagers while working as a Child Care Officer in the 1960s and 70s
An elderly man from Dorset has been found guilty of historic sexual abuse against two boys in Bristol.
Keith Lancaster from Lulworth Cove, who is now 82, was found to have used his position as a Child Care Officer in the 1960s and 70s to assault two teenagers.
A Trial of the Facts recently took place at Bournemouth Crown Court after Lancaster was found not fit to stand trial properly.
During the hearing, the jury were told how Lancaster took one of his victims to a restaurant as a “treat” before sexually abusing him at a secluded area of the Ashton Court estate.
Aged in his 20s and 30s at the time, Lancaster returned to the same wooded area near the deer park on several occasions with the boy to repeatedly assault him.
The jury also heard of another occasion in which he invited his victim to his house in the Portishead/Clevedon area before abusing him.
Lancaster’s second victim was also sexually abused around the same time.
The court was told the vulnerable teenager had been abused by another man before he met Lancaster – who pretended to be his confidant before he himself attacked him.
The boy was sexually assaulted up to six times before he turned 18 – when the local authority stopped being responsible for his care.
Detective Inspector Neil Meade, the senior investigating officer, said: “Lancaster is a predatory sex offender who exploited his position to take advantage of young, vulnerable boys.
“His victims looked up to him as someone who was there to help but instead they had to suffer horrendous abuse over a sustained period of time.
“I want to pay tribute to the tremendous courage they’ve shown in disclosing what Lancaster did to them.
“Without their support, his heinous actions may well have gone unproven and I don’t underestimate the bravery it must’ve taken to talk publically about what happened.”
He added: “While it’s unfortunate for the victims Lancaster wasn’t fit to stand trial, I hope the jury’s belief in them and what they endured gives them some sense of closure.
“I also hope this case gives other victims of sexual offences the courage to come forward and report incidents to us, no matter how long ago they were committed.”
Lancaster refused to cooperate with the police investigating allegations against him – denying he was even employed as a Child Care Officer and denying working with his victims.
Despite that though, officers managed to obtain records from HMRC which proved he was employed by The Bristol Corporation (now Bristol City Council) at the time of the offences.
He will now have to sign onto the sex offenders register for the next five years.
If you’ve been a victim of sexual abuse, recent or non-recent, you don’t have to speak to the police if you don't want to.
You can self-refer to The Bridge, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre available 24/7 365 days a year.
Visit their website via www.thebridgecanhelp.org.uk – or call 0117 342 6999.