Police have commended the bravery of two victims after a former Nottinghamshire Scout leader was jailed for non-recent sexual offences against children.
Jonathan Withey sexually assaulted the boy and girl after meeting them at a Scout camp in 1997.
The following year Withey, now aged 42, began sexually abusing the two children, who were aged in their early teens at the time.
The girl was subjected to sexual abuse over a four-year period and the boy suffered for three years at the hands of Withey.
Withey, who was 16 when he met the children, 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, following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.
On 1 September, Withey, of Chilwell, 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.
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.”
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.”
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