Prolific paedophile who abused eight young boys jailed for 19 years

Ronald Smith, 70, was sentenced to a total of 25 years, including an extended licence, at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday.

Smith, of Winchester Road, Colchester, spent more than 40 years abusing young boys between 1972 and 2014.

Despite already being a convicted sex offender, allegations against the Catholic member of Colchester’s St James the Less and St Helen Catholic Church in Priory Street in 1994, 2000 and 2011 did not end in prosecution.

When more allegations were made, in 2014, he was taken to court and convicted by jury of 12 counts against eight boys, following an in depth and successful investigation by Essex Police.

These included one count of buggery, now known as rape of a child, ten indecent assaults and one sexual assault of a boy. His victims ranged from aged six to about 14.

Smith showed no emotion as he was sent to jail.

The abuse took place in beds, a car and at a youth sports club.

Smith was convicted of two counts of indecent assault against a boy who was aged under ten, committed between 1972 and 1977.

Smith groped the boy and forced him to touch him in a car.

During the course of 1975, Smith indecently assaulted a second boy and was convicted of two counts of indecent assault against the victim.

Between 1980 and 1983, a third victim was indecently assaulted and forced to carry out sexual acts.

Smith was convicted of two counts of indecent assault against this victim.

In 1982, Smith groped another young boy and between 1980 and in 1983 a fifth victim was sexually assaulted.

Between 1980 and 1984, he sexually abused two more victims.

In 2014, an eighth boy was abused.

The court heard Smith came to the UK aged 11 from Bangalore and moved to Colchester in 1958.

He had no educational qualifications and only worked intermittently.

Smith claimed he was abused himself aged 12 or 13 but Judge Martyn Levett was not convinced.

He described him as “predatory” and said his abuse of boys had become “entrenched” in his life.

He said: “You are a present and certain danger to male young children.

“There is significant risk to members of the public of serious harm,”

Had all his sentences made to run separately, they would have totalled almost 80 years.

• A CHILD so scarred by child abuse refused to allow a Christmas stocking to be put up in his room for fear of strange men.

Others spent their lives struggling with alcohol, drugs, depression, sleepless lives and dysfunctional relationships after becoming victims of Ronald Smith.

One said he has “always been held back in life” another spoke of having to “live with the images”.

After the depression, sleeping pills and suicide attempts, justice was finally served at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday.

Judge Martyn Levett, sentencing Smith, said: “The harm in these cases may be long standing harm. The impact of crimes of these nature take many years before they emerge.

“It is undoubtedly the case they have been seriously affected by what you have done to them.

“Mental heath, breakdowns, the lives of others have been ruined by those memories of childhood.

“Some have been diagnosed with depression, some have self harmed, it has caused them to have failed relationships, some using alcohol and drugs to numb their memories.

“All of the young boys have waited a very long time for justice in this case.”

They had to wait years for Friday’s judgement.

Ronald Smith was first convicted of attempted buggery in 1973. Allegations were made against him by victims in this case in 1994, 2000 and 2011.

On each occasion Smith was arrested but on each occasion he was released without charge.

But in 2014 further incidents were reported and a painstaking police investigation began.

Even then Smith denied his crimes.

But he was sentenced on Friday from one count of buggery, ten indecent assaults and one sexual assault on a boy.