Co-Founder Of Pride Group In Surrey Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting 12-Year-Old-Boy

Recently, news came out that the co-founder of a Pride group in Surrey, Britain has been found guilty of the rape of a 12-year-old-boy. The man, Stephen Ireland, 40, met the boy through Grindr and was initially convicted of raping the boy in his flat shared with David Sutton on April of 2024.

Stephen Ireland has also been charged with three other accounts of causing children below the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, one case of sexually assaulting a child, and several accounts of possessing disturbing, indecent images of children. His flatmate and volunteer for the same organisation, David Sutton was also found guilty of possessing many indecent and pornographic images of children.

Debbie White, Head of Surrey Police's Public Protection Team had this to say on the matter, "Stephen Ireland was a sexual predator who targeted a young boy and took advantage of his age and vulnerability for his own gratification. I would like to pay tribute to the victim in this case for their courage in coming forward and for giving evidence. I hope the guilty verdicts help them start to re-build their life. Both men have demonstrated an extreme sexual interest in children and the fact that the jury has found them both guilty of multiple sexual offences today means that they will no longer pose that risk. Both men then tried to cover up their offending by intentionally deleting material from their phones once they became aware of the police investigation and following their arrests. This has been an extremely difficult and complex investigation, and I would like to thank all those involved for their hard work and dedication. I hope the convictions today send a clear message to any victim of a sexual offence, that you will be listened to, you will be supported, and we will investigate such crimes thoroughly."

As reported by the official Surrey police department website, Stephen Ireland and David Sutton will be sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on June 30th.