Kenyan Based British ‘Sex Philanthropist’ Jailed For 17 Years

Simon Harris, a charity boss, was found guilty of sexually abusing helpless street children after luring them to his home in Gilgil, Nakuru County.

Harris, 55, was found guilty of carrying out sex attacks on boys between 1996 and 2013.

The Birmingham Crown Court convicted the VAE charity boss of eight counts of indecent and sexual assaults.

He was further convicted of four counts of possessing indecent images of children he is believed to have abused.

According to the BBC, the case is the first of its kind that allows British citizens to be tried for sex offences committed abroad if it is also an offence in that country.

INTELLIGENT AND CHARISMATIC

However, Harris was cleared of 10 further charges including rape and forced sex.

“The jury failed to reach a verdict on one remaining count of rape and the judge discharged them of their duty in relation to that,” reported the BBC.

The court heard that Harris, who is a former classics teacher, preyed on "very small children who have no families, nobody to look after them sheltering in doorways" with the promise of food and shelter.

Queens Counsel Judge Phillip Parker described Harris as "intelligent" and "charismatic", saying this gave him "a veneer of respectability" enabling him to design his life to be close to boys.

While working in Kenya, Harris is said to have assumed a senior position and had no supervisor to report to.

"It had been urged upon me that I should give you credit for all the charitable work you introduced to Kenya but I am afraid, when your so-called charity work is the vehicle for abuse, I cannot buy into this concept," the judge said.

Source: BBC