NOT GUILTY: Retired Journalist Cleared Of Historic Child Abuse

A retired journalist, accused of sexually abusing a “troubled” young boy, who only made his complaint to the police thirty-five years later when prompted by publicity surrounding the Jimmy Savile scandal, has been cleared.

Pensioner Malcolm Stuart, 76, of High Street, Banwell, Avon was found not guilty of molesting the youngster between the ages of twelve and fourteen years-old and on one occasion taking him to a hotel for sex.

Prosecutor Mr. Walton Hornsby told Croydon Crown Court: “The defendant took him to Arsenal football matches and this developed into discussions about sexuality and development and this led to this defendant providing him with a 'wank book' and asked him to write down occasions when he masturbated.

“The boy was given low-level pornographic literature and masturbated himself in front of the defendant and was given monetary presents for writing in the book every time he had masturbated.”

The jury were told this abuse escalated into the boy providing Stuart with oral sex and the complainant – now aged 49 years-old and living in Torquay – told police the defendant once took him to a hotel.

“He was taken to the hotel, told to take his clothes off and bent over a chair,” Mr. Hornsby told the jury, explaining Stuart then attempted to have sex with the boy, who found the experience “excruciatingly painful.”

“The allegations were not disclosed officially until 2012 when the amount of publicity in the Jimmy Savile case chimed with him and provoked him to contact the police and make a statement.

“Before this, on two occasions, he made a brief disclosure to his first wife and to his current wife that he had been sexually abused.

“None of it took place in the presence of anybody else.

“He had been a troubled boy and a troubled man, saying what happened in adolescence has carried on through his life.

“He says that as soon as he expressed a sexual interest in girls the defendant stopped and there appears to have been no contact after that.”

Stuart was traced and arrested by police, who put the complaint to him. “He made a complete denial of any sexual activity.

“He accepted most of the factual background, in that he had taken him to Arsenal football matches and that they had discussed masturbation as a normal avuncular discussion.

“He did accept suggesting a book be kept, but said there was no sexual contact, no payments made or any sexual activity with the complainant.”

Stuart pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecency with a child between November 7, 1976 and November 9, 1978.

He also denied four counts of indecently assaulting the boy between the same dates and committing a further sex act within that period.