Overview

• Richard Burrows systematically abused 24 boys between 1968 and 1995 while working as a scout leader and housemaster at a children’s home.
• He fled the UK in 1997 using a stolen identity and lived undetected in Thailand for 27 years before being identified through image-matching software in 2023.
• Burrows was arrested at Heathrow Airport in March 2024 after returning to the UK due to financial difficulties and ill health.
• In April 2025, Chester Crown Court sentenced him to 46 years in prison following his conviction on 97 charges, including indecent assault, buggery, and possession of indecent images of children.
• Survivors of his abuse described lifelong trauma, with some victims passing away before seeing justice served.