May 1998 Paedophile jailed after attacks on youngsters A CONVICTED paedophile who lured young boys to his flat with sweets, cigarettes and drink has been jailed for eight years. Kevin Foley, aged 38, sometimes laced their drinks with drugs which made them dizzy, lose consciousness or have hallucinations. One boy returned home acting in a bizarre manner, talking to himself, running around the street half-naked and shouting that someone was in the house with a knife, Warrington Crown Court heard yesterday. Foley, of Hughes Avenue, Orford, admitted four offences of indecent assault involving boys aged 12 and 13, two of administering poisons and one of attempting to administer poison. He denied two other offences of indecency with a child and abducting a child and Judge David Hale ruled they should not be proceeded with but should remain on the file. He told Foley: “These vulnerable young people were targets for your corrupting influence. You lured them to your home with sweets and drink and once there, you gave them drugs which to them must have been overdoses. In one case, there were serious consequences. “I must pass sentence to protect the public in the light of the very serious threat you pose to young people.” He ruled that on his release from prison, Foley must continue to report his whereabouts to police for the rest of his life. Thomas Teague, prosecuting, said Foley’s flat became ‘open house’ for a number of youths and boys. Sweets, drinks and cigarettes were freely available as well as sleeping tablets, tranquillisers and drugs which had a hallucinatory effect. Foley had been prescribed the drugs when he was suffering from paranoia. Sometimes he would lace the boys’ drinks with the drugs. One 16-year-old suffered hallucinations for two-and-a-half days. Four boys, aged 12 and 13 were indecently assaulted – one on the flat’s balcony. One 12-year-old who had behavioural problems and who was, in the words of his own parents, “street-wise,” spent several nights at the flat. He was given tablets which made him dizzy and fell asleep on a couch. While he was asleep, his father called at the flat looking for him but Foley told him he was not there. The boy awoke at 3am to find Foley indecently assaulting him. He escaped by jumping through a window, climbing down from the balcony and running home. He told his mother what had happened and police were informed. Police found a number of tablets in the flat when they arrested Foley. But he initially denied any offences. The court heard the defendant had previous convictions for indecent assault involving young people. Joe Ganner, defending, said the level of indecency involved in the offences was not of the worst kind. Drink and drugs had played their part in Foley’s behaviour and had tended to obscure his realisation of what he had done.