Paedophile scoutmaster who spent decades on the run after fleeing to Thailand gets nine years taken off his jail sentence

Published: 12:37, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 12:49, 18 July 2026 A paedophile scoutmaster who spent decades on the run from authorities after fleeing to Thailand has had nine years lopped off his prison sentence following a judge's 'error'. Former boarding school housemaster and scout leader Richard Burrows, 83, was jailed for 46 years in April for a series of sexual offences against 24 boys in his care from the late 1960s until the mid-1990s.  Burrows, who escaped justice by fleeing to Thailand in 1997, was found guilty of 54 offences by a jury in March, including four counts of 'buggery' - which would have been charged as rape today.  The predator, who is expected to die behind bars, pleaded guilty to 43 counts including having indecent images of children and four counts related to having passports under a false name. Now, it has been revealed that Burrows - who was arrested after returning to Britain in 2024 - has had nine years of his prison sentence quietly quashed because of a judge's error.  It follows an appearance at the Court of Appeal in June, where his legal team suggested a judge should not have separated two offences and that Burrows' sentence was 'manifestly excessive' when considering totality.  The appeal judges - Lord Justice Edis, Mr Justice Choudhury and Mrs Justice Norton DBE - dismissed the first ground, but agreed with Burrows' legal team his sentence was not 'just or proportionate'.  A nine-year sentence relating to a count of attempted buggery was then overturned by the judges.  Predator Richard Burrows has had nine years shaved off his prison sentence for child sex offences following a judge's 'error' Burrows was jailed for 46 years for a series of sexual offences against 24 boys. This has now been reduced to 38 years (Pictured: Burrows' arrest at Heathrow Airport) Burrows escaped justice by fleeing to Thailand in 1997. Police bodycam footage captured the moment he was arrested following his return to Britain in 2024 The order, which was initially to be served consecutively to the other offences, was substituted for a concurrent sentence, according to documents seen by the Liverpool Echo. This means it will be served at the same time, bringing Burrows' new sentence to be 38 years in prison.  It is almost certain that Burrows, who has cancer, will not reach any stage whereby he might be considered for release.  The paedophile became among Britain's most wanted fugitives after he fled to Asia before he was due to go on trial for his crimes in 1997. Burrows, then 53, was arrested and charged with a number of offences - which he denied - but failed to appear at a pre-trial plea and preparation hearing on December 8 that year.  He had in fact fled to Thailand under the name of Peter Leslie Smith, having stolen an acquaintance's identity and used it to obtain a passport. He lived in Thailand for the next 27 years. However, after running out of money and returning to the UK, Burrows was detained by police at Heathrow Airport last March. Police bodycam footage released earlier this year shows the moment Burrows, aided with a walking stick, was arrested after landing and bundled into a wheelchair.  The predator's crimes date back to when he worked as a housemaster at a school for troubled teenagers in the 1960s in Cheshire, and later when he worked with scouts and amateur radio clubs in the Midlands.   Burrows is pictured in a police mugshot in 1997, when he was first arrested, and in a more recent one when he was arrested in 2024 and found guilty  Burrows was jailed for 46 years in April for a series of sexual offences against 24 boys. This has now been reduced to 38 years A trial at Chester Crown Court heard how Burrows, originally from Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, used his positions of trust – which also included working as a master at a children's home - 'to satisfy himself sexually' by abusing boys aged between 10 and 15. The offences in Cheshire occurred from 1969 to 1971 while he was working as a housemaster, looking after vulnerable children at Danesford Children's Home in Congleton. Cheshire Police said his victims in the West Midlands and West Mercia areas were also all young boys who were abused between 1968 and 1995, the majority through local scout groups where Burrows was a team leader. In court, Burrows alleged his actions did not harm the children - even informing jurors that he was a 'good paedophile' who 'loved boys' and 'wouldn't harm them'. When planning his return to Britain, he was also said to have told his brother that 'not all paedophiles are the same'. Burrows was condemned for his 'pathetic' attempts to justify his crimes by one of his victims, who waived his right to anonymity. James Harvey, who was 13 or 14 when he was befriended by Burrows through his involvement with the sea scouts and indecently assaulted in a caravan, told Sky News: 'I think he's pathetic in the true sense of the word. 'His impulses and emotions have driven everything that he's done probably throughout the whole of his life and have left him looking like a shambling, despicable, evil human being that could casually over 60 years do this to children and still wake up in the morning and find a way of justifying it. Richard Burrows, 80, at a previous hearing at Chester Crown Court 'I think he's pathetic, I think he's weak. There is nothing about this man that deserves anything other than loathing.' During Burrows' trial, Prosecutor Mark Connor KC told how the boys who attended the school were 'vulnerable', having previously been in trouble or had problems at home. The court heard Burrows committed some of the sex attacks - to which he pleaded guilty - in the attic room of his address in Sutton Coldfield where he kept his radio equipment. One of his victims from the attic was aged only 12 or 13 when he was attacked sometime between 1966 and 1968. After noticing an appeal on the BBC Crimewatch programme in 2011, he came forward to police. A further victim was a 12-year-old paper boy with an interest in radios that was invited by Burrows to his home. Burrows, who asked the boy to see his radio equipment, then assaulted him in the attic. The victim came forward when he saw news of his arrest in 2024.  Detective Inspector Eleanor Atkinson, who had led the investigation into Burrows, previously described him as a 'prolific sex offender'. She 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.'