January 1999 Paedophile jailed A “charming” paedophile who abused 10 boys over two decades is beginning a 15-year jail sentence. Anthony Bridger, 52, a retired air traffic controller from Surrey, persuaded parents to leave their children in his care, including taking some of them on foreign holidays Sentencing Bridger at the Old Bailey, Judge Richard Hawkins described him as a “considerable danger” to young boys who must remain under “strict supervision” after his eventual release. Relatives of some of Bridger’s victims shouted abuse at him as he left the dock. He was caught following Surrey Police’s biggest paedophile investigation, involving 700 man-hours and interviews of 53 possible victims. Police acting on a tip-off raided the suspect’s home and seized computer equipment and print-outs of child pornography downloaded from the Internet. Prosecuting, Susan Tapping told the court that Bridger had attracted the boys with offers of paid work. “He either knew or got to know their parents and set out to put a reassuring gloss on with the boys so they would accept and trust him,” said Ms Tapping. “Most parents knew he was gay but because of his charming and persuasive ways, no alarm bells rang.” Ms Tapping said that after choosing his victims he would offer them £5 an hour for gardening or washing cars. “If the boys smoked they were given free packets of cigarettes,” she said. “Beer and spirits were available at his home, although not forced on them.” Bridger hoped that the offers would help dull the young boys’ inhibitions to allow him to abuse them more easily, Ms Tapping said. Paedophilia admitted In police interviews, Bridger admitted that he had downloaded and stored some 800 pornographic images, many of children. He also had a substantial collection of adult pornography. “He gave police his computer password ‘yag’, pointing out it was gay spelt backwards,” said Ms Tapping. “Police established a general pattern of behaviour which had been going on for 20 years or so. “He was to admit that, but for his arrest, he would have continued to sexually abuse young boys in his home.” Bridger, who admitted charges of buggery, indecency and possession of indecent material, was previously convicted in 1984 of the indecent assault of a boy then in his foster care. He accepted he was a paedophile and had attempted to live with it for 25 years. “I was brought up a moral, honest person,” he told police. “The torment caused inside is beyond belief. “It is almost an explosion inside my brain.” Victims praised Detective Sergeant Martin Ward, who led the investigation, said: “Evidence showed Bridger was highly organised, systematic and manipulative in the way he treated children. “He even gained the confidence of parents and then mistreated their children. “We appreciate how difficult it is for victims to come forward and talk about it.