Richard Burrows has finally faced justice having spent three decades on the run after becoming one of the UK’s most wanted fugitives when he fled the country in 1997
Richard Burrows issued a vile story to cover up his abuse of young boys, though he has finally been brought to justice after spending nearly three decades on the run in Thailand. Between 1968 and 1995, Burrows used his position as a scout leader and children’s home boss to target 26 “vulnerable boys” as young as 10. Now aged 81, he has been sentenced to 46 years in prison.
Burrows was finally arrested at Heathrow Airport in March last year when he ran out of money and was forced to return from Thailand. It marked the end to almost three decades on the run after Burrows became one of the UK’s most wanted fugitives when he fled the country after he was arrested at his home in Birmingham in 1997.
Burrows fled to Thailand under the name of Peter Leslie Smith after cloning an acquaintance’s identity, which he used to obtain a passport. Although various appeals on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme resulted in more accusers coming forward, detectives were unable to track him down.
That was until 2023 when officers made a breakthrough. Using specialist software to search for possible images of Burrows, they came across a man who was living in Phuket under the name Peter Smith. Following this, Burrows was eventually arrested when he attempted to re-enter the UK in March 2024.
“He was arrested when he attempted to re-enter the UK on 28th March 2024 on the eve of his 80th birthday, having enjoyed 27 years in ‘paradise’, to quote his description of where he had spent his time on the run,” Prosecutor Mark Connor KC told the jury.
He had previously admitted 43 offences and denied 54 others, which jurors convicted him of at Chester Crown Court last month. The court heard how Burrows had used his positions of trust and responsibility “to satisfy himself sexually” by abusing young boys. Police said some of the abuse would occur at night in toilets when he would wake up boys from their sleep under the guise that he was preventing them from wetting the bed.
Speaking outside court following last month’s verdict, Det Insp Eleanor Atkinson, who led the investigation, said: “He systematically abused his victims, specifically targeting vulnerable boys in order to fulfil his own sexual gratification.
“Following his initial charges in 1997, Burrows knew he was guilty but rather than face the consequences of his actions, he acted like a coward and fled the country using a stolen identity taken from an unwell man. In emails that we have found since his arrest, Burrows described how he has spent the past three decades ‘living in paradise’, while his victims have all been left to suffer as they struggled to try and rebuild their lives.
“Thankfully, following our determination, he has finally been held accountable for his actions and is now behind bars where he belongs. It was clear throughout his trial that he did not feel remorse and had not thought at any point while living abroad about the impact his abuse had on his young victims.
“While his victims will never be able to forget what happened to them, I hope that the fact that Burrows has now been held accountable will finally provide them with some closure. Sadly, four of his victims have now passed away and so did not get to see justice served. I also hope that this case acts as a warning to any other wanted suspects – demonstrating that no matter how long you hide, we will find you and you will be held accountable.”
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via
www.rapecrisis.org.uk or by calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
