William Goad
| William Goad | |
|---|---|
| A photograph of William Goad following his arrest: he looks old with semi-balding hair line, bushy eyebrows, large bags under his eyes and some facial stubble. He has a white complexion with dark eyes and hair.
Goad following his arrest in 2003
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| Born | 1944 |
| Died | 20 October 2012 (aged 67–68) HM Prison Isle of Wight, Albany, England |
| Residence | Plymouth, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Sexual offences |
| Criminal charge | 14 counts of rape and 2 counts of indecent assault (October 2004) |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Criminal status | Dead |
William Goad (1944 – 20 October 2012) was a British millionaire businessman from Plymouth, Devon who was imprisoned for life for child rape. He was called in various newspapers "Britain's most prolific paedophile",[1][2][3] with his assaults causing two of his victims to commit suicide.[2] Goad was sent to prison for life in October 2004.[1] He pleaded guilty to two charges of indecent assault and 14 counts of rape.[lower-alpha 1][4] He was described in court as a “voracious, calculating, predatory and violent homosexual paedophile” who sexually abused young boys over a 30-year period.[4]
His abuse spanned 35 years with victims as young as eight.[5] He bought homes overlooking school playgrounds and often had ten boys staying at his home at any one time.[5] They were threatened with harm to their mothers if they talked and were given cash, gifts and employment in Goad's shops.[5] Goad is reported to have boasted of abusing 142 children in a year.[5]
Goad's fortune was once estimated to be around £25 million.[6] Goad opened Cornish Market World in 1991, which became at one point Britain's biggest indoor market with more than 300 stalls.[7] In the mid-1990s Goad launched Ben's Playworld, a children's play zone hosting a range of activities aimed at 2 to 12-year-olds, including mega-slides, giant tubes and a massive ball-pond.[7]
One of his victims gave statements in the late 80s and early 90s, which led to his first arrest for indecent assault. Goad was put on probation.[6] As a result of increasing statements from victims, a police investigation, Operation Emotion, had opened up. Goad became aware and changed his name to David Scott and moved to the nearby town of Ivybridge.[6] In 1998 he fled to Thailand on a false passport, aware that police were on his tail following new allegations.[4] He was arrested in June 2003 after returning to UK on a false passport.[4] A bank employee had tipped the police off, following his credit card use in the UK.[6] He was arrested while travelling on a train with his financial advisor and business associate; he was immediately rushed to hospital following chest complaints.[6] He required heart surgery before being fit to stand in court.[6] During Goad's ill-health Operation Emotion II had been underway by police and had persuaded 17 victims to testify at trial against him.[6] Initially Goad pleaded not guilty to the charges and claimed he was sexually abused at a younger age.[6] Eventually, following overwhelming evidence and comments from the judge to his legal defence, he pleaded guilty.[6] At his sentencing, Martin Meeke QC stated "It is believed there has been no single defendant with more victims than this man".[8] Goad died of natural causes at HMP Isle of Wight, Albany on 20 October 2012.[4][9]
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />- ↑ 1.0 1.1 A one-man crime wave?, 4 February, 2005, Betsan Powys, BBC
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 'Voracious and predatory' paedophile who abused up to 3,500 boys dies in prison, 20 October 2012, Emma Clark, Daily Mail
- ↑ Activities of dead paedophile William Goad to be re-investigated, 13 September 2013, Steven Morris, The Guardian
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Britain's worst paedophile William Goad left just £50,000 – not enough to compensate his victims, January 24, 2014, Plymouth Herald
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Police hunt millionaire paedophile's accomplices after report finds they failed to do enough to find people who helped him prey on 3,500 children, 13 September 2013, Kieran Corcoran, Daily Mail
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Paedophile abused hundreds over four decades, January 30, 2014, Cornish Guardian
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "I hope he rots in hell": Victims of Britain's biggest paedophile rejoice at his death, 22 October 2012, Paul Cockerton, Daily Mirror
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- Pages with reference errors
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- Articles with hCards
- British people convicted of rape
- British people convicted of child sexual abuse
- People from Ivybridge
- People from Plymouth
- LGBT businesspeople from the United Kingdom
- 1944 births
- 2012 deaths
- British people who died in prison custody
- Prisoners who died in British detention
