Anthony Dugard

Anthony Dugard, a 60-year-old former charity worker and National Lottery winner from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, was sentenced to four years in prison at Swindon Crown Court on 22 November 2024 for nine child sex abuse offences. Dugard, who had previously volunteered with police and emergency services and served as chairman of Park Drive Neighbourhood Watch, was arrested on 4 July 2024 in Swindon as part of a proactive operation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).

Dugard travelled to Swindon believing he was meeting a child for the purpose of sexual abuse, but was instead apprehended by undercover police officers. He pleaded guilty to four child sex offences related to this incident and was remanded in custody. Subsequent examination of his mobile telephone revealed evidence of additional offences against a real victim—a 15-year-old girl whom he had coerced and exploited over several months. Dugard was charged with and pleaded guilty to a further five child sexual abuse offences.

In her personal impact statement, the victim's mother expressed profound sadness and regret, stating: 'It makes me so sad that [she] has been through this and I’m so sorry that I couldn’t protect her. The actions of this man have caused me to feel like I have let my daughter down massively and for that I am truly sorry.' She praised her daughter's courage in speaking out, noting: 'I am so proud of her and the fact that she has taken the big step of voicing her truths and telling the police what happened to her and take comfort in knowing that she can now find peace and start her healing process.'

Dugard, who won £275,000 from a £2.2 million National Lottery syndicate in 2009 while working as a fire risk assessor at Corus Steelworks in Grimsby, had a history of community involvement. He volunteered with the Blue Light Brigade charity, conducting home safety checks alongside police, fire, and ambulance personnel, and collaborated with councillors to address antisocial behaviour. Despite this background, Detective Inspector David Wells of SWROCU described Dugard as posing 'a significant risk to children' and commended the victim's bravery in reporting his predatory behaviour.

Judge JN Townsend, while sentencing Dugard, paid tribute to the victim, saying: 'I pay tribute to the victim in this case to her engagement to the Criminal Justice Process in bringing Mr Dugard to justice.' In addition to the four-year custodial sentence, Dugard was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years. The case was handled by SWROCU's Online Investigations Team, which works with a national network to combat online child sexual abuse and exploitation.