MICHAEL CARROLL, SOUTH NORWOOD, CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ON 9-YEAR-OLD BOY IN CROYDON

In May 2014, a former babysitter was found guilty of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old boy in Croydon. Jurors at Croydon Crown Court reached their verdict in just over two hours, confirming the child's abuser was Michael Carroll, 57, of South Norwood.

The family of the boy trusted Carroll, referring to him as “uncle,” and had him over for parts of Christmas Day and Boxing Day. He also babysat the child and took him swimming on multiple occasions.

The incident occurred on June 3 last year, while Carroll was babysitting. During the evening, before bed, Carroll cupped his hand over the boy’s genitals through his trousers as the boy prepared to take a shower. Subsequently, after the boy finished and dressed in a onesie, Carroll abused him by inserting his thumb and finger through a hole in the clothing to touch his genitals.

During his trial, Carroll denied the allegations. He claimed: “I said about this onesie, there were some wear holes and his mum had only just bought them about two weeks ago. I said show your mum and she can take them back to the shop and get new ones.”

He also made comments about the victim, stating: “On a number of occasions he would tell lies and take things from the fridge and leave it for others to get the blame. He could be a manipulative little boy.”

The jury rejected Carroll’s denials, finding him guilty of sexual assault. Additionally, he was convicted of two counts of breaching a sexual offences prevention order, which had been imposed at Bromley Magistrates’ Court in November 2004. The order prohibited him from having unsupervised contact with children for 15 years and mandated regular supervision visits. Carroll believed the order was only in effect for five years.

During cross-examination, prosecutor Jeffrey Israel questioned Carroll about his contact with children after November 2009, revealing: “After November 2009 you were still visited 21 times and you were asked are you having contact with sex offenders and you said no. You were asked are you having contact with children and you say no. That was a lie, wasn’t it? You were grooming these boys for sexual assaults, weren’t you?”

The court reviewed details of Carroll’s past offences spanning nearly 30 years, including an incident shortly after his 13th birthday in 1987 when he indecently assaulted a boy. He was also sentenced to one year in prison in 1998 for fondling a six-year-old boy’s genitals.

Carroll admitted that he was abused by older boys, ages 12 and 13, when he was five, though he declined to provide further details. He remains in custody and is due to be sentenced on June 16.

The victim’s family expressed their relief and outrage, stating: “I can’t believe that this has happened to our family. We had no idea that this man, whom we trusted and considered part of our family, was a sexual predator. He groomed our family to get access to our children. We are absolutely disgusted that this registered sex offender wasn’t monitored properly, allowing this to happen.”

They added, “We are extremely proud that our son knew he could tell us something so degrading at the first opportunity. Today, our son became a hero.”