A man who ‘grossly abused his position of trust’ as a sports coach, sexually abusing five teenage boys, has been found guilty of a catalogue of historic sexual offences and jailed for 30-years.
Earlier this year, Dylan Lamb, formerly known as Johnathan Haythorne and Jonathan Haythorne Price, was charged with a number of sexual offences, committed in Rotherham, Doncaster and Brigg in the 1970s, 80s, 90s and early 2000, against five victims. At the time of the offences, Lamb was employed as a football coach in South Yorkshire and later as a hockey coach in North Lincolnshire.
Lamb’s offending came to light when one of his victims spoke to police, as Detective Constable Kath Coulter who led the investigation, explained.
“In October 2016, the first victim we spoke to, who is now an adult, came forward to report the abuse Lamb had subjected him to after seeing media coverage about a high profile child sex abuse case that had been publicised by the Football Association.
“The abuse began when the victim was just 13, when Lamb, who was known as Haythorne at the time, was working as a football coach in Swinton and living in Mexborough.
“Over the course of five years Lamb abused the boy, with the abuse reportedly getting less frequent as he got older.
“As our inquiry progressed, and we made efforts to find and arrest Haythorne, we discovered that he had changed his name to Dylan Lamb and had recently been working as a hockey coach at a club near to Brigg, North Lincolnshire.
“It was here that a second victim came forward to report abuse at the hands of Lamb. He was 15 at the time and played at the hockey club where Lamb worked.
“After initially charging Lamb with some offences earlier this year, a further three victims came forward, reporting that Lamb had abused them too, having met him in his role as a sports coach.
“Some of the victims reported that Lamb used to buy them meals, birthday presents and arrange group trips where they would stay overnight, such as camping.
“Lamb often used to invite them to stay with him either at his house, or in a hotel. It was through these events, and inviting them to places where he could be alone with them that Lamb grossly abused his position of trust and subjected the boys to horrific abuse.”
Lamb, 72, of Queens Court, Scawby, North Lincolnshire, has been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court for the past 13 days and was yesterday, Wednesday 4 December found guilty of the following offences; eleven counts of indecent assault, five counts of indecency with a child and five counts of other additional sexual offences. The victims were all aged between 13 and 17, or below, when the abuse occurred.
After the jury found him guilty, he was sentenced to 30-years in prison.
DC Coulter added: “The horrific, sustained abuse that Lamb subjected the boys to has had a profound impact on them and first and foremost I’d like to praise their bravery in coming forward and speaking to police about what happened.
“The five survivors, now all adults, have been forced to recount the abuse in detail through a trial and they have all shown immense courage in standing up to Lamb once again and telling the court what happened to them.
“I hope that knowing he has been found guilty and is now facing what could potentially be the rest of his life behind bars offers them some comfort.
“Lamb was in a position of trust, and he abused that in the most horrific way possible. He made the victims feel as though no one would believe them, that he, as a sports coach, would be the one people would listen to.
“Even years later, when a victim saw Lamb in a social situation he froze and said it brought him right back to the abuse, showing the devastating impact Lamb has had.
“The survivors, in their own words have spoken about the impact Lamb’s offending had on them, with one saying he suffers from ‘very vivid flashbacks’ and is unable to sleep. Another has spoken of the dark times he went through but that now, following the court case ‘there is some sunlight breaking through.’
“As a result of their courage in speaking out, and supporting the police investigation, Lamb will now be held to account.
“This is one of the important reasons why we share these charges, convictions and subsequent sentences, we want to give victims the confidence to come forward and report offences and know that we are here to listen, to be objective, and to bring offenders before the courts to face the consequences for what they have done.”
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A Grade II listed 16th century thatched cottage near Lincoln has been listed on the housing market for £800,000, boasting a double extension and ample parking space.
Old Church Cottage in Aubourn has been listed by estate agents Mount and Minster, and you can view the full listing on their website here.
It is a converted thatched cottage with contemporary extensions that create single storey living within a Grade II listed period property.
A stunning view of Old Church Cottage’s grounds. | Photo: Mount and Minster
Inside there are four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen breakfast room and a large lounge space with open beams to show the traditional nature of the house.
As for outside, aluminium bifold doors open out onto the paved courtyard garden, and there is a gated gravel driveway with space for multiple cars and access to a solid oak timber framed garage.
This is what the rest of the property looks like:
Huge space on the driveway and it even comes complete with an oak timber frame garage. | Photo: Mount and Minster
The lounge is open plan and extends out to the kitchen area as well. | Photo: Mount and Minster
Each of the four bedrooms is given natural light by velux windows. | Photo: Mount and Minster
Integrated appliances and high ceilings in the kitchen/breakfast room. | Photo: Mount and Minster
The white colour scheme mixed with natural light puts a shine on the house’s features. | Photo: Mount and Minster
What a lovely view to wake up to! | Photo: Mount and Minster
Bedroom four is currently being used as a study. | Photo: Mount and Minster
A look inside one of the two extensions on either side of the house. | Photo: Mount and Minster
Tiled flooring and a skylight in the bathroom. | Photo: Mount and Minster
A wonderful sun trap location in the garden to enjoy the summer nights. | Photo: Mount and Minster
Beautiful green spaces add another positive element to the property. | Photo: Mount and Minster
So what do you make of it? | Photo: Mount and Minster
An emergency road closure will be put in place for two hours in Stamford’s Red Lion Square on Wednesday as expert crews carry out road materials testing.
The critical work will take place on Wednesday, May 25 and the road closure in and around the square will be in effect from 10am until 12pm. A full route diversion will be signposted.
The roads will have to be closed because some of the materials testing will be carried out on the live northbound traffic lane in the area.
The route map for traffic whilst testing is underway. | Photo: LCC
Just last week a forty-year-old gas main was discovered during works to replace the old cobbles in Red Lion Square, which the county council said was likely to delay the completion of the £1.4 million project. The site team began the works but later identified the shallow gas main on-site that may need to be diverted.
Lincolnshire County Council will keep, and update, the cobbled square despite the mayor of Stamford previously calling on the authority to instead use tarmac. Local residents had previously reacted in horror when the traditional paving setts were repacked with patches of tarmac in 2020.
Red Lion Square in Stamford. | Photo: LCC
Karen Cassar, assistant director for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We are sorry for the inconvenience that these material tests will cause and for the late notice of the road closure in Red Lion Square.
“Our on-site team has uncovered questions about the road materials which need clear answers and these can only come about through these tests.
“Rather than postpone the works further we will close the road for two hours to carry out the tests and then resume to the original plan of works for the area. We are doing this to absolutely minimise the disruption to road users as much as possible.
“Whilst this situation is not ideal, we appreciate the efforts of all concerned. I want to thank everyone effected for their patience in this matter whilst we carry out these tests.”
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