Teenage victim of serial sex offender feels let down

Sam Powers was jailed for 20 years for the sexual abuse of children

A teenager who was sexually abused by a former teaching assistant has said he was let down by authorities which should have protected him.

He said Wiltshire Police initially would not listen to his allegations and Swindon Borough Council failed in its duty to safeguard children.

The teenager was groomed by 28-year-old Sam Powers, from Swindon, who was jailed for 20 years in June after being found guilty of the rape of a child and admitting 44 other counts of sexually abusing children.

An internal police investigation is ongoing, while the council has admitted failings and apologised to the victim and his family.

The victim says he felt "betrayed" by police

The victim, from Wiltshire, said when he first reported the crime to the police they did not treat him with dignity and the officer who spoke to him showed no sympathy.

He said he was initially told he was the one who could be prosecuted – because his abuser had persuaded him to send pictures of himself.

'Incredibly betraying'

“I explained to the police officer what happened, the sexual exploitation, my age and the position of power he was in.

“And the officer told me I was the one who had broken the law and if I took it any further then I would be prosecuted.

“I was crying, but he just got up and walked out," said the victim.

He contacted Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP), which spoke to Wiltshire Police and insisted the force take it seriously.

The victim said: “Any parent or school will teach children from a very young age that if anything like this happens to you then the police is where to go, so for them to turn around and actually threaten you.

"It’s incredibly betraying. It dismantles deep structures from your childhood of what is safe and what isn’t.”

Det Ch Con Craig Dibdin said: “We are aware of the allegations that have been raised in relation to this case. These are subject to an active internal investigation.

"As I’m sure you will appreciate, it would be inappropriate to comment on these allegations until the investigation has concluded.”

If you have been affected by any of the details in this report you can find help and support at the BBC Action Line.

Powers was obsessed with teenage boys.

Many of his victims were vulnerable and he knew them through his work at a school in Swindon and at a gym.

He is known to have abused at least 17 children but there are thought to be more victims who did not come forward.

Powers was described as a predatory paedophile and a "monster, extremely calculated and manipulative", during the court case.

He secretly filmed people in changing rooms and contacted others online to send him indecent images and videos, sometimes paying them, or pretending to be a girl.

He raped a teenage boy after luring him back to his house with the promise of computer games and plied him with alcohol.

Powers continued to assault children even though he was on bail, after being arrested for sex crimes.

Council apology

The victim believes Swindon Borough Council failed to properly safeguard children by not coordinating information effectively with police.

“I want people to understand that the processes they believe are in place to protect children are massively failing children," he said.

An internal council report found that his complaint could have been better handled but also that there were “inexcusable difficulties” in the processes between the local authority and the police and there would be a “learning review”.

The council said: “We have apologised to the victim and his family for any shortcomings in our processes and procedures.

"As a result, we have made changes to the way we deal with complaints and requests for information in the future.”

'Inhuman'

When asked what he thought of Powers, the victim said: “I’d describe him as inhuman. I’m relieved the legal processes have ended and he’s prison.

“But the system hasn’t changed and there will be more people like him, and there will be more hurt to children.

“I also want to get back to normal life and get back to the things that I’ve always wanted to do. Before this happened.

"I think it’s about finding the healthy balance between continuing with life and also getting justice for children.”