BERTRAM ELLERY, FORMER BOYS' BRIGADE SUPERVISOR IN CHESTER, DIES AT 85

Update: Bertram Ellery passed away in March 2018 at the age of 85.

In March 2016, it emerged that Bertram Ellery, a former supervisor with the Christian youth charity The Boys’ Brigade, was found to possess indecent images of children on his computer.

Ellery, who was 83 at the time, was wheelchair-bound and suffering from heart and kidney issues. He received a six-month suspended prison sentence at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to making and possessing 16 indecent images of children between December 2005 and November 2014. Of these, five were classified as Category A—a designation reserved for the most serious images—and depicted boys who were tied up or gagged.

The court was told that Ellery, residing on Francis Street in Newton, Chester, was arrested after an engineer, who was servicing his boiler, discovered some of the photos and reported his findings to the police.

Prosecutor Mandy Nepal explained, “Officers attended the defendant’s property following a report made by a member of staff from the district housing trust. The staff member became concerned after seeing images on the defendant’s computer.”

Authorities confiscated three computers from Ellery’s home, which contained 16 images of adolescent boys—five at Category A, six at Category B, and five at Category C.

During police interviews, Ellery admitted to downloading the images and saving them in a folder labeled ‘friends.’ He also confessed to using internet search terms such as ‘young boy punishment’ and ‘gay males,’ though he denied being attracted to young boys, claiming he searched for the material out of curiosity.

Defense lawyer Gareth Roberts stated that Ellery had pleaded guilty and felt remorseful for his actions. He emphasized that Ellery had led a "productive and law-abiding life until now" and had been a valuable member of The Boys’ Brigade.

“For him, it was something he very much enjoyed doing and had done successfully,” Mr. Roberts argued. “He had long-standing connections with a number of boys and men.”

He suggested that if Ellery had been raised in a “more enlightened age,” he might not have committed these offences. “Sadly, he was brought up in a different era with different attitudes towards sexuality,” the lawyer added.

The judge, Recorder Patrick Thompson, commented that Ellery was in denial if he claimed he only downloaded the images out of curiosity. He also expressed concern over Ellery’s previous association with The Boys’ Brigade, although the charges did not relate to his time with that organization.

Addressing Ellery directly, the judge stated, “Without people like you providing a market for this sort of material, then it wouldn’t be made. If there wasn’t money and demand, then people wouldn’t abuse young boys and produce such images.

In your own way, you have contributed to the abuse of these children, and you should be deeply ashamed.”

Ellery’s six-month prison sentence was suspended for two years. Additionally, he was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and is required to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.