MAURICE BURGESS SHOCKS NORMANTON AND DERBY WITH CHILD SEX ABUSE SENTENCE

In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the community of Normanton and the wider Derby area, Maurice Burgess, a former city council leader, has been sentenced to five years in prison for a series of child sex offences. The conviction follows a lengthy investigation that uncovered years of abuse committed by Burgess against young boys, revealing a pattern of predatory behavior that spanned over a decade.

Details emerged that Burgess, who resided on Porter Road in Normanton, had indecently assaulted four boys aged between seven and eleven years old during the period from 1989 to 1994. The case was brought to light after one of Burgess’s victims, nearly two decades after the abuse, contacted authorities to admit that he had been victimized by Burgess. This revelation prompted police to re-examine the allegations, leading to a series of confessions from Burgess himself.

Initially denying the accusations, Burgess, aged 63 at the time of sentencing, eventually admitted to the police that he had indecently assaulted four boys. His admissions confirmed the existence of three additional victims, all of whom corroborated the allegations when contacted by law enforcement officers. Burgess pleaded guilty to a total of eleven counts of indecent assault involving boys under the age of 14.

This was not Burgess’s first brush with the law concerning child sexual abuse. Records show that in 2006, he received a suspended sentence after being convicted of indecently assaulting a seven-year-old boy in 1983. Further historical records reveal that as early as 1971, Burgess was fined £25 after admitting to a similar offence, indicating a troubling pattern of behavior that predated his political career.

The revelations about Burgess’s past and present conduct prompted the Derby Telegraph to launch its “Anything to Declare?” campaign, urging election candidates to disclose previous convictions. During the recent court proceedings at Derby Crown Court, Judge John Burgess expressed his condemnation of Burgess’s actions, emphasizing the profound and lasting impact on the victims. The judge stated, “It is clear that your actions have altered the lives of the victims very much for the worse.”

He further criticized Burgess for exploiting his reputation and position of trust within the community to groom and abuse vulnerable children. The judge highlighted that Burgess, who was a candidate for Derby City Council at the time, would invite boys to his home to play on his computer and read magazines, all the while grooming them for abuse. One victim, who had contacted the police, recounted that Burgess’s face was familiar from election flyers, and he was well-respected in the local community for organizing children’s camping trips.

The victim described how Burgess had indecently assaulted him on four separate occasions when he was just 11 years old, while he was playing on the computer at Burgess’s home. The victim recounted feeling frozen with fear during these incidents, which caused him years of emotional pain and suffering. Another victim, who was only seven to nine years old at the time, tearfully told police that Burgess had made him food, then taken him upstairs for a “hug,” which was a pretext for abuse. This victim remembered Burgess calling him the “cute one” and his “favourite” before abusing him on his bed.

It was revealed that this second victim had never reported the abuse earlier due to fear of shame and bullying within his family and community. Burgess had advised him in October of the previous year to call the police, claiming concern about being blackmailed again. Interestingly, during Burgess’s 2006 conviction, it was disclosed that his previous victim had blackmailed him, only reporting the abuse when his blackmail money was exhausted. The latest victim clarified that he had not intended to blackmail Burgess but simply wanted him to admit to the abuse.

In mitigation, defense lawyer Clive Stockwell argued that if Burgess had openly admitted the abuse during the initial phone call, the case might not have escalated to this point. The judge acknowledged that it was “most unlikely” that the other victims would have come forward without Burgess’s confessions to the police. Mr. Stockwell also noted that Burgess, who had struggled with his urges since his early 40s, had previously attempted to control his impulses, although he admitted to creating situations where he could abuse boys.

Throughout his career, Burgess was a prominent figure in Derby’s political landscape. He was elected as a councillor in 1994 and served for 12 years, eventually becoming the leader of Derby City Council from 2003 until July 2005. His political career was marked by active campaigning on various local issues, including opposition to the addition of Nottingham to the East Midlands Airport name and efforts to keep jobs in Derby. He also made headlines for suggesting that a replacement for the famous Florentine boar statue be placed in the River Gardens to avoid offending the Muslim community.

However, his political career was marred by controversy and scandal. After losing his position as council leader in 2005, police investigations into allegations of child abuse surfaced. Burgess was suspended from the Liberal Democrat party and faced trial in December 2006, where he changed his plea to guilty on charges of abusing a boy between April 1983 and April 1984. The court also learned of an earlier offence in 1971, when he was fined for a similar crime involving an eight-year-old boy.

Despite the guilty plea, Judge Michael Stokes QC sentenced Burgess to a nine-month suspended prison term, citing his community service and public contributions as mitigating factors. Nevertheless, this marked the end of his political career, and he retreated from public life. Yet, the revelations of his ongoing abuse continued to emerge, culminating in his recent conviction and five-year imprisonment.

In addition to his prison sentence, Burgess is now subject to a sexual offences prevention order, which prohibits him from seeking contact with or living in the same residence as any child under 16. He is also required to register as a sex offender and is barred from working with children in any capacity. The case has left the community of Normanton and Derby grappling with the betrayal of trust by a once-respected public figure, highlighting the devastating impact of unchecked predatory behavior.