A paedophile scout leader with a “deep history of sexual abuse against children” has been sentenced.
Serial paedophile Michael Costin, 59, was found to have sexually abused four victims between 1982 and 1986 in Rush Green and a further 10 victims in Suffolk between 1989 and 1994.
Victims first came forward to multiple police forces between 2017 and 2023 to tell their accounts of the abuse they faced while Costin was a scout leader.
He had groomed his victims, as some described how they were sexually assaulted while sleeping at the camps.
Others received love letters from their abuser and were forced to perform sexual acts.
Appearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court yesterday (July 24), Costin, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 15 years and three months’ imprisonment.
He previously pleaded guilty on June 13 last year to 14 counts of indecent assault. At he time he was already in prison for other sexual offences in Oxford between 2007 and 2010.
In 1996, Costin was convicted and sentenced to two years for similar offences in the Suffolk area.
A victim read out a statement in court and said: “This has given me strength to encourage others to come forward and trust in the Met Police and the movement that is bringing justice for victims of historical abuse.”
Detective Constable James Howlett, who led the investigation, said: “Costin is a dangerous man with a deep history of abuse against children.
"The work we do every day helps to protect victims, secure justice and put people like him behind bars with the aim of making our community safer.”
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