Wiltshire teen victim of serial sex abuser feels abandoned

A teenager who was sexually abused by a former teaching assistant says authorities failed him when they should have protected him.

He said Wiltshire Police initially refused to listen to his allegations and that Swindon Council had failed in its duty to protect children.

The teenager was manipulated by 28-year-old Sam Powers from Swindon, who was jailed for 20 years in June after pleading guilty to raping a child and admitting 44 other charges of child sex abuse.

An internal police investigation is currently underway. The council has acknowledged the shortcomings and apologised to the victim and his family.

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

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

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

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

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

He contacted Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP), who spoke to Wiltshire Police and urged the force to take the matter seriously.

The victim said: “Every parent or school teaches children from a young age that if something like this happens, they should go to the police, so they turn around and actually threaten you.

“It’s an incredible betrayal. It dismantles deep structures from your childhood of what’s safe and what’s not.”

Det Ch Con Craig Dibdin said: “We are aware of the allegations that have been made in connection with this matter and these are subject to an active internal investigation.

“As you will no doubt appreciate, it would be inappropriate to comment on these allegations until the investigation has been completed.”

If you have been affected by any of the details in this report, you can find help and support on the website 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 in a gym.

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

Powers was described during the trial as a predatory pedophile and a “monster, extremely calculating and manipulative.”

He secretly filmed people in changing rooms and contacted others online to send him offensive images and videos, sometimes paying them, sometimes posing as a girl.

He raped a teenage boy by luring him to his house with the promise of computer games and giving him alcohol.

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

The victim believes Swindon Council failed to protect the children properly as information was not effectively coordinated with the police.

“I want people to understand that the processes they think are there to protect children are failing them tremendously,” he said.

An internal council report found that his complaint could have been handled better, but also that there were “inexcusable difficulties” in the procedures between the local authority and the police and that a “learning process assessment” would take place.

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

“That’s why we’ve made changes to the way we handle complaints and requests for information in the future.”

When asked what he thought of Powers, the victim said: “I would describe him as inhuman. I am relieved that the legal proceedings have ended and he is in prison.

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

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

“I think it’s about finding a healthy balance between moving on with life and at the same time getting justice for children.”