It was the prosecution case that Wilson took the victim back to his home, gave him alcohol and allowed him to watch pornographic movies and magazines
A former scoutmaster who groomed and sexually abused a teenage boy over 100 times was today jailed for three years.
Wilson Alexander Reid (67), of Ferris Bay Road, Islandmagee, Co Antrim had previously pleaded guilty to 13 counts of indecent assault on a male and two of gross indecency.
The offences were committed on dates between November 1, 2001 and August 31, 2006 while he was a scout leader living in Portadown, Co Armagh. The victim was 14 at the time of the abuse and Wilson was aged 43, a single man who worked as a framer.
Belfast Crown Court heard the victim first met Wilson through his friends who attended the scouts although he was not a member himself.
It was the prosecution case that Wilson took the victim back to his home, gave him alcohol and allowed him to watch pornographic movies and magazines. When he reported the matter in 2022, the victim told police that he had been molested on over 100 occasions.
Wilson subsequently moved house in Portadown and the victim, who was then aged 16, helped him with the removal to his new home where the sexual abuse continued.
During interviews with police, Reid admitted sexually abusing his victim on numerous occasions and allowing the teenager to watch pornographic material.
He also accepted he groomed his victim by giving him alcohol even though he was underage and readily acknowledged the teenager’s vulnerabilities as he had been bullied at school.
Judge Gordon Kerr KC was told that Reid was a member of the Scout Association and held roles as assistant scout leader and between 1997 and 2004 he was assistant scout commissioner.
The prosecution said that Reid was in a position of authority and breached the trust placed in him to access his victim for sexual abuse. The court heard that the abuse lasted for five years up until he was 19 and had left the victim still traumatised.
In a personal statement to the court, the victim wrote that the abuse had caused behavioural changes in him which resulted in him taking alcohol and drugs, “self-blaming”, the damage it had done to his relationships and it affected his ability to cope with parenting.
He revealed his constant struggles with mental health and detailed attempts to take his own life.
The victim wrote: “I want to turn the horrible experiences I have had into something good. What happened to me ruined my life.
“I was robbed of so much. I know for a fact my life would have been completely different if it wasn’t for him.”
In a pre-sentence report compiled by the Probation Board, the author said Reid was now estranged from his siblings and claimed while growing up in Portadown he had an abusive childhood and was sexually abused by members of his family.
The report said that Reid felt sorry for his victim but he could explain his offending, saying his interest was in women.
“He expressed regret for having the victim’s life away through abuse,” said the report’s author. “He long felt guilty over it and he should not have done it.”
The report described Reid’s conduct as “examples of sophisticated manipulation and grooming skills”.
It added that Reid’s offending was similar to a pattern of other offending for which he received a ten year sentence in November 2009.
The Probation Board assessed the defendant as a low likelihood of reoffending and said he did not pose a danger to the public and there had been no further offending.
The report concluded that the sexual abuse of the 14-year-old boy took place before Reid was sentenced in 2009.
Reid’s defence said that had these offences been included in the 2009 sentencing exercise “it would not have exacerbated the level of sentence to any great degree”.
Judge Kerr said he considered a custodial sentence was necessary given “the seriousness of the offending, the extent of the charges, the length of time over which they were committed and I consider a custodial sentence should be in excess of 12 months”.
The judge said the effects of the abuse on the victim had lasted for over 20 years and have yet to be fully dealt with.
“The defendant deliberately planned and prepared the grooming of the victim by use of inducements such as alcohol and porn,” said Judge Kerr.
“The defendant was a mature person who had a standing in society as a youth leader. The victim at the start was a child of 14 and remained largely a child throughout the offending.
“There were numerous offences. The offending took place over a five year period. I consider that this is a case of high culpability. I consider the high degree of culpability and the significant harm caused do merit an increase in the original ten year sentence.
“Accordingly, the sentence will be three years on each count and all will be concurrent.”
Judge Kerr declined to impose a Sexual Offenders Prevention Order and the defendant will remain on the sex offenders register for life.
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