NICHOLAS TULEY, PRESTON MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTOR, SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE AND SEXUAL OFFENCES

In July 2010, Nicholas Tuley, a 43-year-old martial arts instructor from Christchurch Street, Preston, was convicted of abusing young pupils at his Ju Jitsu school. Tuley used his position under the guise of teaching self-defence to manipulate and molest vulnerable boys, often during special classes designed to foster trust. Police investigations uncovered that Tuley had a history of sexual offenses, including a conviction for the sexual assault of a boy in 1989, yet he remained proficient in martial arts, including the sword art Iaido, and was allowed to train in Ju Jitsu despite his criminal past.

During the sentencing, Judge Heather Lloyd described Tuley as a man who appeared respectable but was in reality a manipulative predator. She stated, ‘You corrupted those children in the true sense of the word whilst all the time having a veneer of respectability. Anyone who hears of your victims cannot fail to feel the pain and fear that they experienced during this period.’ The judge emphasized how Tuley exploited his physical strength to dominate his victims and warned against underestimating the emotional damage caused.

Prosecutor Duncan Birrell explained that Tuley’s offences spanned from 1993 to 2007, during which he ran a Ju Jitsu club on Fylde Road, Preston, instructing children as young as seven. One victim, who joined to ‘toughen up’ after a violent childhood, was abused from age 12, after being invited to Tuley’s home where pornography was shown. Birrell highlighted that Tuley’s role involved physical techniques like throwing and immobilising, creating multiple opportunities to abuse children. He also revealed that Tuley’s ‘Dungeon Master’ persona during make-believe Dungeons and Dragons games served as a means to manipulate and control the children.

Tuley’s pattern of abuse included a boy as young as 10, with escalating violence over eight years, a 13-year-old victim in the club shower and at Tuley’s residence, a 15-year-old offered a game for a ‘spanking,’ and a fourth victim whom he repeatedly abused. It was also noted that Tuley was conditionally discharged in 1989 after indecently assaulting a 14-year-old boy.

Defense solicitor Mark Stephenson acknowledged Tuley’s remorse, stating, ‘Nicholas Tuley makes it clear that he needs to be punished. He is open and willing to take any help that can be given to him. There are many other people that he taught who speak of him in very positive terms. It is his flaws that led him not to be able to act in the same way towards all individuals who came to him.’

Tuley was sentenced to an indeterminate term, with a minimum of ten and a half years before parole eligibility. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life and banned from working with children or vulnerable adults.

The Ju Jitsu foundation issued a statement emphasizing their commitment to child safety, noting that since June 2004, they require CRB checks for all instructors. It was revealed that Tuley resigned as an instructor to avoid these checks but continued as a caretaker at the center. Detective Inspector Jonathan Holmes commented on Tuley’s ruthlessness, saying, ‘Tuley was pitiless in his approach to his victims. He had no pity – he was in pursuit of self-gratification.’