Richard Burrows spent 27 years "in paradise" following the eve of his 1997 trial, but his crimes have now finally caught up with him. The 80-year-old paedophile, who has today been sentenced to 46 years behind bars, used his position as a scout leader and children's home boss to target 26 "vulnerable boys" between the years 1968 and 1995. Some of the children "systematically abused" by Burrows were as young as 10 years old. Burrows was arrested at his Birmingham home in 1997, but escaped justice by fleeing to Thailand under the name of Peter Leslie Smith, having cloned the identity of a dying acquaintance, which he then used to obtain a passport. "Peter" was a keen sailor and had previously worked at an advertising company on the beautiful Thai island of Phuket. In 2019, the sex offender even brazenly featured in the local news after retiring from his job. While Burrows' victims were "left to suffer as they struggled to try and rebuild their lives", the wanted fugitive described how he was "living in paradise", in shameless emails recovered after his arrest. Despite a number of appeals on the BBC's Crimewatch programme, which resulted in more accusers coming forward, detectives were unable to track down Burrows. Having previously found no trace of him, officers had a breakthrough in 2023, when they used specialist software to search for any possible online images of Burrows. It was then that they came across a man using the name Peter Smith, living in Phuket, Thailand. Burrows' idyllic lifestyle came to an abrupt end last year, however, when he was forced to return to the UK from Thailand after running out of money, before officers had a chance to begin the extradition process. He was arrested after landing at Heathrow Airport. He had admitted 43 offences and denied 54 others, which jurors at Chester Crown Court convicted him of on Monday, March 17. The court heard how Burrows had used his positions of trust and responsibility "to satisfy himself sexually" by abusing young boys aged between 10 and 15. Prosecutor Mark Connor KC told the jury: "He had in fact fled to Thailand under the name of Peter Leslie Smith, having cloned an acquaintance's identity and obtained a passport with that false identity. He was arrested when he attempted to re-enter the UK on 28th March 2024 on the eve of his 80th birthday, having enjoyed 27 years in 'paradise', to quote his description of where he had spent his time on the run." Speaking outside court following last month's verdict, Det Insp Eleanor Atkinson, who led the investigation, said: "He systematically abused his victims, specifically targeting vulnerable boys in order to fulfil his own sexual gratification. “Following his initial charges in 1997, Burrows knew he was guilty but rather than face the consequences of his actions, he acted like a coward and fled the country using a stolen identity taken from an unwell man. In emails that we have found since his arrest, Burrows described how he has spent the past three decades ‘living in paradise’, while his victims have all been left to suffer as they struggled to try and rebuild their lives. “Thankfully, following our determination, he has finally been held accountable for his actions and is now behind bars where he belongs. It was clear throughout his trial that he did not feel remorse and had not thought at any point while living abroad about the impact his abuse had on his young victims. “While his victims will never be able to forget what happened to them, I hope that the fact that Burrows has now been held accountable will finally provide them with some closure. Sadly, four of his victims have now passed away and so did not get to see justice served. I also hope that this case acts as a warning to any other wanted suspects – demonstrating that no matter how long you hide, we will find you and you will be held accountable.” One of Burrows' victims told the BBC that Burrows was an "appalling, manipulative abuser", describing the fact that he was able to get a British passport to leave flee and live for several decades in Thailand as "utterly disgusting". He recalled: "I can still feel that man's hands on my skin, on my shoulder, and on my chest." During the two-day sentencing, various victim personal statements were read out at Chester Crown Court, with some facing the perpetrator from the witness box as he looked on from the dock wearing headphones. One victim told the court that Burrows had “stripped away my humanity” after he was subjected to an eight-hour ordeal in defendant’s tent during his first camping trip with the Scouts. He shared how he had twice attempted to die by suicide and had been left feeling “perpetual trauma, shame and despair”. Judge Everett told him: “You have done nothing to be ashamed of.” Another victim told of how, at the time, he'd hidden the abuse from his parents, and felt he could not tell any of his friends or trust an adult any more. He said: “I had no one to turn to and just internalised it all. It totally affected my future relationships and behaviour. Even now, I keep going through my head: ‘Why did you assault me? I looked up to you'.” Judge Everett told him: “I want to be crystal clear. There is only one person at fault here, and he is sitting opposite me in the dock. I suspect every single person in the courtroom, bar one, feels totally sorry for you.” Phil Clemo, defending, stated: “Putting it bluntly, whatever sentence your honour passes, he is going to die in prison. He spent 27 years in Thailand in a pleasant setting. The reality is his last days will be on the prison estate somewhere. He, of course, respects the verdicts of the jury even though he does not agree with it. He does accept on the matters he has always accepted and knows he has caused incredible suffering.” Judge Everett responded: “I didn’t see much of that during the trial. He used the truly obnoxious saying ‘good and bad paedophiles’. I have a feeling that the jury was repulsed by that. His view was that a good paedophile did things which did not harm and a bad one does cause harm. That thought process is so warped, it is difficult to understand.” Mr Clemo added: “There were moments when there were tears, not before the jury…” The judge replied: “There were tears in front of the jury but they were only tears for himself. As a person, he deserves no sympathy whatsoever.” If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or by calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999 Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com