BOB NUNN'S HORRIFIC CRIMES IN HERNE BAY REVEALED: POLICE AND CPS FAILURES EXPOSED
In October 2014, the disturbing case of Bob Nunn, a man once regarded as a respected businessman and family man in Herne Bay, came to light as he was finally convicted for a series of heinous sexual offenses committed against young boys during the 1980s and 1990s.Nunn, aged 65 and residing in Beltinge, was the former head of the plumbing company Anchor Plastics.
Behind his seemingly ordinary facade, he led a double life as a predatory paedophile, systematically abusing vulnerable victims over many years while maintaining the appearance of a community pillar.
As the court proceedings unfolded, it was revealed that both the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had missed critical opportunities to bring Nunn to justice earlier.
The first known incident occurred in 1988 when police officers caught Nunn pleasuring himself in his van, with a teenage boy sitting beside him dressed in a school uniform.
Despite witnessing this disturbing act, the officer chose not to arrest Nunn at the time, a decision that allowed him to continue abusing that same boy for an entire year without intervention.
Further revelations showed that in 2004, another victim, James Bailey, came forward to report that he had been subjected to abuse as a teenager.
However, authorities at that time dismissed his claims, citing insufficient evidence to pursue a conviction.
It was not until 2012, when a different victim, then aged 40, reported his own abuse to the police, that Nunn was finally brought to justice.
This led to his sentencing to 12 years in prison.
James Bailey, who only learned of the 1988 incident during the court proceedings, expressed his outrage at the police’s failure to act earlier.
Bailey, known for his Christmas lights display in Reculver Road, voiced his disgust at the police’s inaction, questioning the integrity of the system meant to protect victims.
“I can’t get my head around how a system that’s supposed to protect you can do that.
He was a policeman – he’s supposed to serve and protect.
Who was he serving?
Who was he protecting?” Bailey lamented.
“How can you catch a bloke doing that with a young lad and let him off?
It’s disgusting.
If he’d been properly dealt with then I might not have had to go through what I did for so long.
I might have still had a childhood.” Despite the gravity of the allegations, when Bailey initially reported the abuse in 2004, the CPS concluded there was not enough evidence to proceed with prosecution.
It was only in May 2012, after watching a Panorama documentary exposing Jimmy Savile’s paedophile activities, that police reopened the case.
This renewed investigation was prompted by another victim who had seen the program and decided to come forward.
Remarkably, this was the same boy who had been in the van with Nunn in 1988, yet he holds no ill will towards the police, acknowledging that the officer involved did what he could under the circumstances.
“He [the officer] did the best he could do and put a stop to it without making a big thing out of it.
I don’t hold any grudge against the police,” he stated.
During the sentencing, Judge Heather Norton condemned Nunn’s actions and the police’s earlier inaction.
She described the decision not to arrest Nunn in 1988 as “inexplicable.” Nunn later told a probation officer that the incident had “acted as a wake-up call” for him to cease offending, but this was a false claim, as the judge pointed out that Nunn continued to commit crimes for several more years.
The judge emphasized the profound and lasting harm inflicted on his victims, describing the damage as “incalculable.” As part of his punishment, Nunn was placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for life.
Judge Norton remarked, “The sentence – no matter how long – will never make up for what you took from these boys.” Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Pritchard expressed his condemnation of child sexual abuse, highlighting the importance of investigating historic cases when new evidence emerges.
He praised the bravery of the victims who came forward and expressed hope that the lengthy custodial sentence would help them find some measure of closure and begin to rebuild their lives.
Pritchard reaffirmed Kent Police’s commitment to pursuing offenders regardless of how many years have passed, emphasizing that justice can still be served even decades later.
The CPS declined to comment on the case when approached for a statement.
