News

Tower Hamlets Council has welcomed the conviction of a former deputy director of social services on four counts of indecent assault.

Alan Prescott was sentenced to two years' imprisonment last week after admitting the charges against four boys in his care between 1970 and 1980. Prescott worked as deputy superintendent, and superintendent, of the council-run St Leonard's children's home between 1968 and 1984.

Following other care posts, he was eventually made acting deputy director of social services at Tower Hamlets, before retiring in 1991.

William Starling, a house parent at St Leonards, was convicted in April on 19 charges of sexual assault and is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence.

But both his and Prescott's sentences could only be reported this week, after the court at the Old Bailey ruled that the case against a third defendant, St Leonard's house parent Hadyn Davies, could not proceed.

The case was dropped because police video evidence from an earlier police investigation - Operation Hamoun in 1995 and 1996 - had been destroyed after the Crown Prosecution Service declined to proceed with the allegations. The court said Davies could not be guaranteed a fair trial without the evidence.

Tower Hamlets corporate director of social services Ian Wilson expressed "disappointment" at the Davies decision.