A British charity boss who sexually abused vulnerable street children in Kenya has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison. Simon Harris, 55, from Pudleston near Leominster, carried out attacks on boys in the town of Gilgil between 1996 and 2013.
Harris, the head of charity VAE which placed volunteers in Kenyan schools, was convicted in December at Birmingham Crown Court of eight counts of indecent and sexual assault, and four counts of possessing indecent images of children. He was cleared of ten further charges, including rape, and the jury failed to reach a verdict on one remaining rape count.
The court heard that Harris preyed on 'very small children who have no families, nobody to look after them... sheltering in doorways', luring them with promises of food and shelter. Judge Phillip Parker QC described Harris as 'intelligent' and 'charismatic', using a 'veneer of respectability' to design his life to be close to boys. In Kenya, he held a 'hallowed' position, accountable to no one, allowing him to abuse some of the world's most vulnerable children.
The abuse came to light after evidence was passed on by a Channel 4 documentary team. National Crime Agency officers, who travelled to Kenya to trace victims, described Harris as 'one of the most prolific child sex offenders' they had encountered. The case is one of the first using legislation that allows British citizens to be tried for sex offences committed abroad if also an offence in that country.
Det Ch Insp Damian Barrett said: 'The convictions and today's sentence sends an important message to people who have been the victim of crimes such as these to come forward, because time and geography is no barrier to justice.' Lawyers for the Kenyan victims welcomed the sentence, with Nichola Marshall from Leigh Day stating: 'This case is the first time a British man has been convicted for sex offences carried out in Africa, and should serve as a warning to paedophiles looking to sexually abuse children overseas.'
