'Britain's vilest paedophile' ordered to pay £127,000 to five Filipinos over abuse
A man dubbed “Britain’s vilest paedophile” has been ordered to pay £127,000 to five Filipinos, despite not being convicted of any offences relating to them.
In what their lawyer described as an “unprecedented case”, a High Court judge ruled that Douglas Slade had sexually abused the four young men and one boy.
Slade, 77, was not convicted of any criminal offence in the Philippines and denies any wrongdoing.
The five victims, one of whom was just 10 at the time of the abuse, sued Slade for “personal injuries arising out of sexual abuse” and will each receive payouts of between £20,000 and £35,000.
Slade, who is originally from Bristol, was jailed for 24 years in 2016 after being found guilty of abusing five boys in the UK between 1965 and 1980.
A founder member of the Paedophile Information Exchange, a pro-paedophile activist group which ran for a decade until 1984, he moved to the Philippines in 1985.
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Lawyer Alan Collins, who represented the five men, told the BBC that this is the first case in which foreign victims have successfully claimed compensation against a British abuser, despite a failed attempt to prosecute him abroad.
He said: “This landmark case is unprecedented for a High Court in London, showing how the legal system in England and Wales delivers justice for victims of sexual abuse whether they live in England or overseas.
“The judgement has finally provided a sense of vindication for the victims after Slade avoided justice for so many years through his lying and deception and I’m sure this case will set a precedent for others in a similar situation to seek justice.”