Philip John Saunders, a convicted paedophile, was found guilty of multiple historical sex offences against a young boy in the 1980s, following renewed investigations prompted by the victim's own efforts after police initially failed to locate him.
The abuse occurred between 1982 and 1985, when Saunders, then the boyfriend of the victim's older sister, targeted Keith Hinchliffe, who was aged between 13 and 15 at the time. Saunders, living in Slough, Berkshire, during that period, subjected the boy to repeated sexual abuse at the family home in Twickenham, south west London. The court heard that Saunders threatened and physically assaulted Hinchliffe to ensure his silence, while also showering him with expensive gifts to manipulate and control him. As a result of the trauma, Hinchliffe became erratic, missed school, and was eventually removed from his family home and placed in Grafton Close children’s home in Hanworth. Even after this relocation, Saunders continued the abuse by visiting the home and taking Hinchliffe out, including an incident in Saunders’ car at Wembley Stadium following a sports event.
Hinchliffe reported the abuse to Thames Valley Police in the 1980s while residing in Slough, but the case saw little progress. Years later, inspired by high-profile investigations into figures like Jimmy Savile, Hinchliffe, now 54 and living in Monmouthshire, Wales, decided to come forward again. When police informed him in a letter from a Detective Inspector that the case would be closed due to inability to identify the correct Mr Saunders, Hinchliffe took matters into his own hands. Using online searches, he located Saunders within hours and discovered he was already on the sex offenders' register with prior convictions. This information prompted police to reopen the case, leading to Saunders' arrest in Aylesham, Kent, where he was then residing.
At Reading Crown Court in October 2023, Saunders was convicted of four counts of indecent assault, two counts of indecency with a child, and one count of attempted buggery. The judge described the seven convictions as representative of 'innumerable' instances of abuse and praised Hinchliffe as an 'immensely impressive witness; honest, reasonable and composed… insightful and measured in expression'. The court learned of Saunders' previous sentences: in May 1990, he was jailed for two-and-a-half years in the Netherlands for sexually abusing two boys, and in 2005, he received four years for abusing a girl in Kent. Hinchliffe waived his anonymity to highlight alleged police failings, stating, “It’s personality-changing… It affects your decisions. I didn’t go to school. I didn’t get any qualifications. I’ve had depression and anxiety my whole life.” He is now filing a formal complaint against Thames Valley Police for their initial failure to locate Saunders despite months of investigations.
Saunders was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, with the judge noting that Hinchliffe had lost a period of his childhood, and the 'trauma, fear and shame shaped his personality' in adulthood. A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police confirmed: "A formal complaint has been made in relation to this and we are in the process of updating the victim with our findings of the investigation." This case underscores the long-term impact of child sexual abuse and the challenges in prosecuting historical offences.