NICHOLAS HOYLE FROM BURNLEY AND RAWTENSTALL SENTENCED FOR ABUSIVE 'PLAY DOCTORS' SCHEME

A former educator from Burnley, who exploited his position within a church community to establish trust with young children before subjecting them to sexual abuse, has been sentenced to prison. Nicholas Hoyle, aged 32 and residing on Schofield Road in Rawtenstall, pleaded guilty to six counts of indecent assault involving young boys spanning from 1994 to 2000.

Preston Crown Court was informed that Hoyle was previously affiliated with a church in Rossendale. The court heard that he systematically befriended members of the congregation and their children, carefully building a rapport that would eventually lead to his abuse of the boys, all of whom were between the ages of 6 and 13 at the time.

One particular case involved Hoyle offering to serve as a mentor to a young boy, providing religious instruction prior to the child's baptism. During a series of lessons held in the attic of Hoyle’s residence, the former teacher, who had worked at Whittlefield School in Burnley, would produce a doctor’s bag containing various items such as a stethoscope, ruler, and plastic hammer. He would then persuade the boy to participate in a game he called “play doctor,” during which he would sexually abuse the child.

The court was told that this pattern of abuse persisted with two other boys, with Hoyle repeatedly using the same manipulative tactics. His arrest came in April, carried out by officers from Lancashire Constabulary’s Operation Nevada team. At the time of his apprehension, Hoyle was employed as a manager at a pharmacy in Bacup.

It was revealed that Hoyle had been asked to leave his previous church in 1997, but he now attends a different church in Rossendale. The court clarified that there was no blame attributed to his former church or its minister at the time of the offences. In fact, the church had assisted authorities by providing evidence that contributed to Hoyle’s arrest.

Prosecutor Richard Haworth detailed the grooming process, stating, “The defendant used to help out at the church when one of the boys was due to be baptized and needed a mentor. Hoyle offered to teach him, and the boy would visit his house after school once a week for about an hour. The lessons would seem normal for the first 20 minutes before Hoyle would change the tone and say, ‘We are going to play doctors.’”

He continued, “Hoyle would then produce a variety of items from a doctor’s bag and lay them on the table. The items were used to touch the boy, and this routine continued week after week until the end of the classes.”

Defense lawyer June Morris acknowledged Hoyle’s remorse, stating that her client had expressed regret and wished to apologize to his victims. She added that Hoyle had sought counseling prior to his arrest in an effort to address his behavior.

Judge Pamela Badley sentenced Hoyle to two years and eight months in prison. She remarked, “You gained the trust of these boys and then initiated a game called doctors. Not only was this inappropriate, but you knew that through this devious method, you could sexually gratify yourself.” She emphasized that this conduct represented a serious breach of trust and that only a custodial sentence was appropriate.

Although the judge was unable to impose a disqualification order to prevent Hoyle from working with children in the future, she ordered him to be registered on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

Following the case, Detective Inspector Keith Parker, who leads Operation Nevada, commented, “A great deal of effort went into this investigation, which was both challenging and sensitive. I am satisfied with the outcome, both for the officers involved and for the victims, who can now begin to move forward and find some closure.”