TIMOTHY MAWER AND SHOCKING SEXUAL ABUSE IN LINCOLNSHIRE
A male badminton coach with a disturbing background of abusing more than a dozen teenage boys has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.Timothy Mawer, aged 52 and originally from Cleethorpes, engaged in a systematic campaign of sexual misconduct spanning nearly two decades, which has left many of his victims devastated and scarred for life.
Mawer was recognized in Lincolnshire as a prominent and successful sports coach, actively involved in teaching badminton to both children and adults at various schools and youth clubs.
His reputation extended internationally, and he was admired for his coaching skills.
However, beneath this facade, Mawer was a master manipulator who used his position of trust to groom and exploit vulnerable boys, many aged between 13 and 16.
The grooming process often involved giving victims his time, attention, and money, and impressing them with his flashy cars and trendy clothing.
He also took an interest in trainspotting at Lincoln Railway Station, where he befriended boys with whom he later collaborated in his disturbing acts.
According to the Lincoln Crown Court, Mawer often met his victims through his work in badminton coaching and their shared interests.
He would invite them to his home, where he would initiate a series of grooming behaviors that culminated in sexual assaults.
The court heard about how these assaults included activities such as playing cards where sexual forfeits were involved, and perhaps most disturbingly, a pattern of degrading and abusive acts that he carried out multiple times over a period that extended from approximately 1985 to 2003.
The investigation into Mawer’s conduct was triggered in January 2016, after at least one victim came forward and others followed, revealing an extensive pattern of abuse.
It was later uncovered that Mawer had committed over 60 separate incidents involving 13 different boys, some as young as 13 years old.
Prosecutors revealed that Mawer’s offending was deliberate, planned, and gradually increased in severity, with a total count of 62 incidents documented.
The court was told that Mawer’s abusive actions spanned nearly 18 years, beginning in the mid-1980s and ending in April 2003.
During the proceedings, it was emphasized that Mawer’s crimes caused profound emotional and psychological damage to his victims.
Some victims even contemplated suicide, while others suffered from long-term mental health issues, substance abuse, and addiction problems.
One victim shared a heartbreaking statement, describing how Mawer had befriended him and his family, portraying himself as a nearly perfect individual before betraying their trust.
Mawer’s defense attorney, Michael Cranmer-Brown, pointed out that Mawer had maintained a good character prior to these crimes and expressed remorse and shame for his actions.
He stated that the offending began when Mawer was still young himself and highlighted his success as a badminton coach with many thousands of pupils both domestically and abroad.
Following his guilty pleas to 27 charges of indecent assault, Mawer was sentenced by Judge Simon Hirst.
He was ordered to undergo an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and was banned for life from working with children or vulnerable adults.
Additionally, Mawer was placed on the sex offenders register for life, signifying the severity of his crimes.
Delivering the sentence, Judge Hirst condemned Mawer’s abuse of his esteemed position: “You were a successful coach who was well-known.
Over a period of 18 years, you misused that position and the ostentatious lifestyle you had to abuse 13 children between the ages of 13 and 15 in a sexual manner.
It is plain that in their different ways, all of the complainants have been profoundly affected by your abuse of them.
You caused each and every one of them real and lasting damage.
You caused harm to each of them for no other reason than to gain sexual gratification for yourself.
A striking aspect of what you did involved the humiliation of some of these boys.
You won them over through kindness, apparent generosity, and flash cars.
You persistently and systematically abused young boys over nearly two decades.” Lincolnshire Police’s Detective Inspector David McKean from the Protecting Vulnerable People unit voiced his condemnation after sentencing: “This man used and abhorrently abused the trust that young people, their parents, and the community including schools and youth clubs placed in him as a badminton coach.
He coerced young boys into shockingly depraved sexual acts which they have had to live with.
The victims have shown incredible bravery to come forward and support our investigation, and I hope this sentence provides them with some closure.
We have officers specially trained to support victims of sexual offences.
We treat every report sensitively and with respect, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you have been holding onto something in silence.”
