Paedophile stole man's identity and ran off to avoid sex offence trial

A PROLIFIC sex offender who stole a dying man’s identity and spent almost three decades on the run has been found guilty of historic sex offences against young boys.

- HARRY LEACH

Richard Burrows, originally from Sutton Coldfield, used his positions of power as a scout master and his role at a children’s home to help him sexually abuse children.

The now-80-year-old paedophile stole a terminally ill man’s identity to escape to Thailand in the late 1990s.

A court heard how, between 1968 and 1995, Burrows systematically abused 26 young boys across Cheshire, the West Midlands and West Mercia.

The offences in Cheshire happened between 1969 and 1971 while he was working as a housemaster, looking after vulnerable children at Danesford Children’s Home in Congleton.

His victims in the West Midlands and West Mercia areas were also all young boys who were abused between 1968 and 1995.

The majority were abused through scout groups in Sutton Coldfield where Burrows worked as a leader.

In each case, he befriended the victims by using his position of trust over them and their personal interests, such as radio communications or boating.

After gaining their trust, and in many cases the trust of their families, Burrows sexually abused them.