Karate union apologises to victims of sex abuse

Andy Sherry, 80, was jailed for two years for five sex offences

The Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB) has apologised “unreservedly” to two men who were abused by an instructor when they were teenagers.

Andy Sherry, 80, from Liverpool, was a founding member and the former chairman of the KUGB, was jailed for two years after being convicted of five sex offences.

He indecently assaulted a teenage boy in the mid 1980s, and sexually assaulted an 18 year old student in 2011 or 2012.

The KUGB condemned the abuse and said steps had been taken to develop the organisation's safeguarding. and an internal review was underway into the Sherry case.

'Abuse of position of authority'

An internal review was underway into the Sherry case, it confirmed.

Sherry retired in March 2022 when a police investigation was launched.

“We have been shocked by the case which has ridden roughshod over our core values of trust, respect, and integrity which are of paramount importance to us all,” a KUGB representative said.

“His offending was an abuse of his position of authority and a breach of the trust placed in him by his students, their parents and indeed the whole membership of the organisation."

The organisation said it was "committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for people of all ages" and "significant steps" had been taken to develop the organisation’s safeguarding provision including appointing a welfare officer, establishing a safeguarding committee, implementing new and rigorous safeguarding procedures and introducing regular comprehensive safeguarding training for instructors.

"As an organisation built on principles of respect and compassion, we will continue to take proactive steps to ensure offending of this nature never happens again and continue to foster an open culture where concerns can be raised without fear or hesitation," the statement added.