A PERVERT former teacher and Scout master has been jailed for 14 years for abusing two teenage boys.

Russell Howard-Tricker, 77, groomed and abused a boy for several years when he worked as a teacher at Colchester school in the 1960s.

He also took pictures of a teenager he knew through the scouts naked in a caravan in St Osyth and abused him during the same time period.

Howard-Tricker, of no fixed abode in the UK, admitted two counts of indecent assault but was convicted of two more and committing buggery after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Judge Christopher Morgan said the offences would have been treated as rape if they happened today before jailing the paedophile.

“In both cases you have contributed significantly to the difficulties they have experienced during the course of their lives as teenagers and throughout their adult life.”

Speaking after the hearing, the first victim said: “I was groomed and sexually abused from the age of 13.

“In the years since, I have felt shame, self-doubt, isolation and depression.

“I was encouraged by seeing other cases in the media to finally face up to getting the help I needed, and from that came a successful prosecution.

“This has given me a sense of closure.

“I am grateful that a dangerous paedophile has been prevented from harming others in the way he harmed me.”

The second victim became dependent on alcohol and suffered depression after being abused by Howard-Tricker.

He said: “I would drink up to ten pints a day at the worst points and my dependency went on for decades.

“It led to me getting a drink drive conviction, to losing my job after that, to eventually my first wife leaving me.

“I felt degraded by what Tricker did to me and felt I could never tell anyone so I just locked all my feelings away.”

During the police investigation, officers found out Howard-Tricker was living in Prague.

He was arrested at Birmingham Airport on December 21, 2018 and later charged.

Investigating officer DC Rachel Evemy, of the North Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “I want to commend the victims for their bravery in coming forward after suffering the trauma of Howard-Tricker’s abuse all those decades ago.

“He was someone they trusted and who had a duty of care for them, and he abused that trust in the most horrendous way.

“This case highlights the long lasting impact that child sexual abuse has on its survivors.

“But it also shows how justice can still be achieved and I hope today’s sentence will help his victims move forward.

“I urge anyone who has been sexually abused to please report it, no matter how long ago it took place.

“We will take your report seriously, investigate and help ensure you receive the right support.