Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Monday 17th March 2025, at 16:00hrs
Richard Burrows, an 80-year-old prolific sex offender, has been found guilty of numerous sexual offences against young boys, culminating a 27-year manhunt.
The verdict was reached at Chester Crown Court on Monday, March 17, 2025, where Burrows was convicted of 54 offences, including indecent assault, buggery, attempted buggery, and indecency with a child.
This followed his earlier guilty pleas to 43 offences, which included indecent assault, possession and making of indecent images of children, and possession of false identity documents.
Burrows, who had been living under a stolen identity in Thailand, now faces sentencing on April 7, 2025, for a total of 97 offences.
The court heard how Burrows systematically abused 26 young boys between 1968 and 1995 across Cheshire, the West Midlands, and West Mercia.
In Cheshire, the offences occurred between 1969 and 1971 while he was a Housemaster at Danesford Children’s Home in Congleton, where he held a position of trust over vulnerable children.
In the West Midlands and West Mercia, he abused boys, primarily through local Scout groups where he served as a leader.
Burrows befriended his victims by exploiting his position of trust and their personal interests, such as radio communications and boating.
He gained the trust of the boys and their families before sexually abusing them.
While some victims attempted to speak out at the time, many felt they would not be believed.
In 1994, Cheshire Police launched a large-scale investigation following allegations related to offences at Danesford Children’s Home.
Burrows was arrested in April 1997 and charged in May 1997 with two counts of buggery and 11 counts of indecent assault.
He was released on bail and failed to appear for a court hearing in December 1997, subsequently disappearing.
For 27 years, Cheshire Police conducted extensive inquiries to locate Burrows, including multiple wanted appeals and four Crimewatch appeals. Despite numerous leads, there was no trace of him within the UK or abroad.
The breakthrough came in April 2023 when detectives from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit used specialist facial recognition software to search for images of Burrows online.
The system matched Burrows to a man named Peter Smith, living in Chalong, Phuket, Thailand.
Further investigation revealed that Burrows had stolen the identity of Peter Smith from a terminally ill acquaintance, allowing him to fraudulently obtain a passport and flee the country undetected.
He had been living a seemingly peaceful life in Thailand, even featuring in local news upon his retirement from an advertising job.
Upon learning of Burrows’ intention to return to the UK under the alias of Peter Smith, authorities monitored his travel.
He was arrested upon landing at Heathrow Airport.
Following his arrest, further victims came forward, leading to additional charges related to offences in Cheshire, the West Midlands, and West Mercia.
Detective Inspector Eleanor Atkinson, who led the investigation, expressed her satisfaction with the verdict.
“Our determination to locate Burrows over the past 27 years has not faltered,” she said.
“He is a prolific sex offender who systematically abused vulnerable boys. He acted like a coward and fled the country, using a stolen identity, rather than face the consequences of his actions.”
DI Atkinson added, “In emails found since his arrest, Burrows described how he has spent the past three decades ‘living in paradise,’ while his victims have been left to suffer. Thankfully, he has now been held accountable.”
She also emphasized that the police take all allegations of sexual offences seriously, no matter how long ago they occurred, and encouraged victims to come forward.
Burrows has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on April 7, 2025.
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