A British paedophilehas been ordered by the High Court to pay in excess of £100,000 compensation to five victims who he sexually assaulted in the Philippines. The landmark case is the first time that victims of ch ild sexual abuse committed in another country have been successful in claiming compensation against a Briton in a UK court.
Douglas Slade, 77, originally from Bristol, is a convicted paedophile who campaigned for child sex to be legalised. Slade moved to the Philippines in 1985 and bought a house near a school, where he would subject his five male teenage victims to sexual assaults in return for money and chocolate.
Following a trial in the High Court in October, His Honour Judge Mark Gargan found that all five victims who lived in abject poverty in the Philippines had been groomed by Slade so that he could sexually abuse them.
The Filipino police failed in their attempts to successfully prosecute Slade, despite numerous complaints of sexual abuse having been made against him. Slade argued both in his previous case and subsequently in the High Court, that the allegations were untrue and fabricated.
Judge Gargan found that he lied about his background and sexual interests, claiming he was a retired naval officer and a widower with children.
The judge went on to find that the teenagers had told the truth about the repeated sexual abuse Slade had subjected them to and awarded the victims compensation in excess of £100,000 for their pain and suffering.
The five victims were represented by partner and head of our Abuse Team, Alan Collins, and Justin Levinson at 1 Crown Office Row.
Alan said:
“This landmark case is unprecedented for a High Court in London, showing how the legal system in England and Wales delivers justice for victims of sexual abuse whether they live in England or overseas.
The judgement has finally provided a sense of vindication for the victims after Slade avoided justice for so many years through his lying and deception and I’m sure this case will set a precedent for others in a similar situation to seek justice.”
The 77-year-old was jailed for 24 years in 2016 for abusing five British teenage boys in 1970s and was involved in the Paedophile Information Exchange in the 1970s which campaigned for the legalisation of sex with children.