April 2015 Perverted choirmaster led a double life in a paedophile ring abusing boys A PREDATOR at the centre of a North-East paedophile ring is behind bars tonight for what a court heard were “grotesque and horrific” crimes. To his friends and acquaintances, Allan Brown was a happily married pious choirmaster who helped run a youth club in his spare time. But in reality Brown had a sinister secret double life at the centre of a sickening paedophile ring involving men and women. Teesside Crown Court heard how young victims were showered with treats of toys, sweets and crisps. Others were given alcohol to drink and glue to sniff by their sick abusers. Yesterday, Brown was jailed for five years after one of his victims had the courage to break his silence. The 72-year-old was arrested after one victim came forward following the notorious cases of Jimmy Saville and other celebrities for molesting children. Two other boys were traced by police and told how they were abused by Brown and his “boyfriend” – referred to in court only as KE – on an allotment site. Prosecutor Christine Egerton told the court that the other man ran the County Durham youth club where Brown helped out, and has since died. Last night the victim who broke his decades-long silence two years ago to reveal to detectives what had happened, said: “I’m so pleased I found the courage to speak out. “Allan Brown must have known that when these high-profile cases became public knowledge, that it would not be long before a knock came to his door.” Brown, of Sycamore Grove, West Auckland, County Durham, admitted a series of charges of indecent assault and conspiracy to commit indecent assault at earlier hearings. Yesterday, he arrived at court on two walking sticks and carrying a bagful of medication, as his lawyer said: “He knows he is going to custody. There is no doubt.” Robert Mochrie, mitigating, described the crimes as “horrific” and said: “This was a grotesque breach of trust by Mr Brown and the others referred to.” Miss Egerton said one of the three victims was taken by Brown to a woman’s house in Shildon where she told him what was happening to him was “normal”. The pervert stood and watched as she abused the boy and forced him to touch her sexually – then cruelly refused him a lift home and gave him a bus fare. The youngsters – all described as vulnerable – were treated to days out in Brown’s car, and would be molested by him, KE and a third man who was not identified. On occasions, two of them were taken to public toilets inBishop Auckland where sickening assaults were carried out by the three men, said Miss Egerton. Mr Mochrie said Brown’s admissions had saved his victims the ordeal of having to give evidence in court, and said: “It would no doubt have been extremely distressing.” He added: “He brings to court with him today his wife, who is in equally poor health, and she is struggling to make any sense of all of this. “We now know that in his earlier years, he was seemingly a bisexual man with an interest in both males and females, and his wife was completely in the dark. “He is a different man now from the man he was. I accept on his behalf, and so that the victims know, he accepts that will he little comfort to them. “It was a period in his life – a perverse period, admittedly – that he went through, and it is with deep regret that these victims have had to live with that. He apologises.” Recorder Martin Bethel, QC, also ordered that Brown should sign of the sex offenders’ register for life, as he told him: “You have ruined their lives.” The judge added: “There was planning, you acted together with others, you used drugs, you targeted vulnerable boys, and there was a significant disparity in age.”