Legal first as Filipino victims of British child abuser awarded compensation

legal first
Douglas Slade shortly before being deported from the Philippines in 2015.

A convicted British child abuser has been ordered to pay £127,000 to five alleged Filipino victims in what is a legal first.

The pay-out has been agreed today (Friday, December 7) even though Douglas Slade was never convicted of his alleged child abuse while living in Angeles City.

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He was, however, jailed for 24 years in 2016 for abusing five boys in the UK. He had been deported from the Philippines the year before to face justice for these offences committed between 1965 and 1980.

The lawyer for the five Filipinos said the “unprecedented” High Court case “provided a sense of vindication for the victims”.

Slade, aged 77, who moved to the Philippines in 1985, was a founder member of the ‘Paedophile Information Exchange’ and actively campaigned for sex between children and adults to be legalised.

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Slade lived in the Philippines for 30 years and, despite several investigations, there was never a successful prosecution against him, with five cases being dismissed.

It is the first time that foreign victims have successfully claimed compensation against a British abuser, despite a failed attempt to prosecute him abroad, lawyer Alan Collins said.

The four young men and one teenage boy at the centre of this case sued Slade for “personal injuries arising out of sexual abuse” and gave evidence via a video link from the Philippines. The youngest was aged just 10 when the abuse was alleged to have begun.

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The five described how they were groomed by Slade, who offered them money and chocolate after buying a house near a school and living there from 2009 to 2015.

Ruling is a legal first

The payments the five will receive from Slade range from £20,000 to £35,000.

Mr Collins, of law firm Hugh James, 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.”

Judge Mark Gargan published his ruling today after analysing evidence at a recent High Court case in London.

Slade continues to deny abusing the five, asserting that their allegations are fabrications.

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