A former scout leader who abused a young boy almost 30 years ago has been jailed for nine years.
David James Kitching, 59, of no fixed address but from the Thirsk area, was found guilty of all nine charges on May 4 following a three-day trial at York Crown Court.
Committed during the 1990s, the offences involved three counts of indecent assault and six counts of gross indecency.
At the sentencing today, he was also given an extended prison release licence of one year and he will remain on the Register of Sex Offenders indefinitely.
Kitching’s offending was reported to North Yorkshire Police in January 2021 by the brave victim, who had disclosed to his wife about the child abuse he had suffered.
Led by Detective Constable Jason Roper, of Hambleton and Richmondshire CID, the investigation resulted in the charges being laid in July 2022 with Kitching first appearing at York Magistrates’ Court on September 1.
Following the sentencing, DC Roper said: “Kitching now has a long time to reflect on his heinous offending while in prison.
“During the trial, he tried to present himself as a respected member of the community and as a former scout leader.
“He also tried to discredit the victim and made all sorts of ludicrous suggestions to undermine his harrowing account.
“Kitching continues to protest his innocence, even though he was found guilty by the jury.
“This is the true measure of the man and it underlines his sheer cruelty in subjecting the victim to the additional trauma of reliving the sickening abuse at the trial.”
DC Roper added: “As for the victim, I have nothing but respect for his bravery in coming forward to the police and allowing justice to be secured in this case.
“I have witnessed first-hand the deep distress the proceedings have had on him and his immediate family.
“He was incredibly courageous during the trial and his testimony was profound and compelling.
“I thank the jury for seeing through Kitching’s lies and convicting him on all nine charges.”
Victim personal statement from the victim’s wife recounting the full impact this case has had on the family.
“I have sat down on numerous occasions trying to put into words how the last three years of our lives have affected me both mentally and physically. However, putting these words together has been incredibly difficult. The feelings and emotions that I have had to process will be with me now for the rest of my life and having to acknowledge them takes strength I never knew that I had.
“When my husband disclosed to me what had happened, our life turned upside down. I knew deep down inside over the months previously that something wasn’t right, but I told myself that it was the pressure of having two young children, running a house and having a career that would soon pass.
“What came in September 2020 was nothing I could have ever imagined having to go through. Having to listen to my husband tell me that he wanted to kill himself and drive a kitchen knife into his skull to stop the flashbacks he was experiencing, was truly heart breaking.
“Over the coming months, I had to ensure that he did not take his own life and became his protector from the world, whilst also trying to raise our children without them feeling the hurt and pain around them.
“I have physically picked him up from the floor, held his hand through some of the worst conversations of his life and supported him through each step of this process. However, with that came an immense amount of pressure to keep it together for my own family.
“During these months, I had to access counselling to help process the deep sadness I felt each day. I think for myself, one of the worst parts I have had to overcome is blocking out the details my husband gave to me.
“Knowing that his own son was a trigger meant I began to look at our little boy through tainted eyes. I saw all those things that happened to my husband every time I looked at him. Alongside this, I lived every day fearing that by the end of it I would no longer have a husband.
“As the months passed, I decided to change career and, when people ask me why, I usually tell them it was always my plan. However, if I am honest with you, it was because I knew I needed a better income to support my children if I became a single parent.
“I have lived every single day of my life since my husband’s breakdown with an element of uncertainty and anxiety for how my life may look in the future. I will never stop asking him how he is feeling and fearing that his memories could one day take him away from me.
“As I sit here, writing the words, I think about how much hurt and sadness we have dealt with and how it has changed the wife and mother that I am today.
“The feelings of sadness, anger and anxiety did not end with a guilty verdict. In fact, the guilty verdict was only the beginning of this chapter for my husband.
“It will never undo what happened to him and it will never give him back his childhood.
“It will never give him back the time he lost with his own children and it will never undo the strain it has had on our marriage and our mental health.”
Seeking further support, advice and ways of reporting child abuse
- Please contact North Yorkshire Police on 101. If you are in immediate danger, always dial 999 for an emergency response
- Victims who would prefer not to go direct to the police and are not in immediate danger, can contact Bridge House, North Yorkshire’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), on 0330 223 0362, email sarc@nhs.net or go to www.bridgehousesarc.org/
- You can also contact Supporting Victims direct at supportingvictims.org or call 01609 643100
- NSPCC Helplines: * Help for adults concerned about a child – call 0808 800 5000 * Help for children and young people – call Childline on 0800 1111 * Go to www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse
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