March 2005 Scout leader jailed for sexual abuse of boy, 12 A Scout leader from Weston-super-Mare who indecently assaulted a 12-year-old boy and collected more than 200 indecent photographs of children has been jailed for four years. The activities of Anthony Oakley, aged 33, of Wren Close in Mead Vale, were described as “deplorable” when he was sentenced by a judge at Bristol Crown Court yesterday . The court heard Oakley, an IT consultant who was also the leader of 1st Banwell Scout group, had befriended the family of the boy and had invited him to stay at his home overnight. Oakley sexually abused the boy and also took naked photographs of him. He then threatened to kill himself if the boy told anyone what had happened. Christopher Quinlan, prosecuting, said Oakley had gained the trust of the boy’s family. He said: “He took advantage of a young, vulnerable boy. He took advantage of the family, of their trust.” The court heard that the boy told his family, and his mother went to the police in March last year . After his arrest the police searched Oakley’s home and found 239 indecent images on the hard drive of his computer. The court was told that the “bulk” of the photographs were at the lower end of the scale used to determine the level of indecency. But three were level four, near the top end of the scale. Sentencing Oakley to four years in prison, the judge, Michael Roach, said that if he were to re-offend within two years of his release from prison, the defendant would be liable to return to jail. Oakley was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register, banned from having unsupervised access to children under 16, disqualified from working with children, banned from going to areas used by children, or giving presents to children. He was also banned from internet access. Mr Roach said: “These offences are deplorable.”