Tim Mawer, 52, committed 62 sexual offences on 13 different boys in an 18-year period. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
A former Lincoln area badminton coach was jailed for 20 years on Friday after grooming and then carrying out “vile” sexual assaults on young boys over an 18-year period.
Lincoln Crown Court was told that Timothy Mawer, 52, targeted teenagers he met while coaching in schools and youth clubs.
Mawer met other victims through his employment as a youth worker and through a mutual interest in trainspotting.
He carried out more than 60 attacks on 13 different boys. His victims told the court how their lives had been destroyed.
A number later considered making attempts on their own lives while others suffered significant mental health problems for years.
Some of the victims turned to drugs or drink and ended up with criminal records.
One, in a victim impact statement, described Mawer as “a master of manipulation.”
The man said: “He befriended me and my family. He portrayed himself as a near perfect character.”
Timothy Mawer, 52, formerly of Long Beach Road, Haventhorpe Park Holiday Centre, Cleethorpes, admitted a total of 27 charges of indecent assault on a male person between 1985 and 2003. He was jailed for a total of 20 years.
Mawer was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and banned for life from working with children and vulnerable people. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
Judge Simon Hirst, passing sentence, told him: “You were a successful coach who was well-known. Over a period of 18 years, you misused that position and the ostentatious lifestyle you had to abuse 13 children between the ages of 13 and 15 in a sexual manner.
“It is plain that in their different ways all of the complainants have been profoundly affected by your abuse of them. You caused each and every one of them real and lasting damage.
“You caused harm to each of them for no other reason than to gain sexual gratification for yourself. A striking aspect of what you did involved the humiliation of some of these boys.
“You won them over through kindness, apparent generosity and flash cars. You persistently and systematically abused young boys over a period of almost two decades.”
Sam Skinner, prosecuting, told the court: “The defendant’s offending was systematic, persistent, planned and gradually increased in severity and degradation.
“This was a campaign of offending that corrupted the lives of more than a dozen boys.
“Some of the acts he carried out were unusually vile.
“In total there are 62 incidents. The period of offending is approximately 18 years. It began in 1985-6 and ended in April 2003. Some were as young as 13. The rest were about 14 years old when this defendant offended against them.
“This defendant was working as a self-employed sports coach teaching badminton. He taught adults and children.
“When he was working with children he was in a position of trust. He was a successful coach who was well-known locally and abroad.
“He coached in schools and youth clubs. He made friends with lots of boys aged between 12 and 16. He also visited Lincoln Railway Station where he befriended boys who were trainspotting.
“He selected those whom he could influence and groom. This grooming took weeks and months depending on the boy. He gave these boys his time, his attention and his money. They were impressed by his fast cars and his clothes.”
Tim Mawer pictured in a coaching trip to India in 2012.
Mr Skinner said that Mawer chose victims and made out that he was their friend. He went on to groom them and invited them to his home.
There they were persuaded to play cards with Mawer who went on to introduce forfeits for the loser which resulted in sexual acts taking place.
A police investigation began in January 2016 after one of the victims made a complaint and the subsequent inquiry led to other victims being traced.
The court was told that Mawer was originally due to be sentenced in November 2019 but as a result of media reports six more victims came forward resulting in additional charges against the defendant.
He was due to stand trial on the further matters in front of a jury earlier this week but changed his pleas.
Michael Cranmer-Brown, for Mawer, said he was of previous good character and is remorseful and ashamed for what he did.
He said: “This offending started when he was himself young. The most recent offending took place 18 years ago.
“In that time Mr Mawer has been a badminton coach of some considerable repute and success. He has taught many thousands of pupils both here and abroad.”
Detective Inspector David McKean from Lincolnshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People unit says: “This man used and abhorrently abused the trust that young people, their parents and the community including schools and youth clubs placed in him as a badminton coach.
“He coerced young boys into shockingly depraved sexual acts which they have had to live with.
“The victims have shown incredible bravery to come forward and support our investigation and I hope this sentence provides them with some closure.
“We have officers who are specifically trained to help and support victims of sexual offences.
“We treat every report sensitively and respectfully, so please do contact us if you have been keeping something to yourself.”
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Guest restrictions at weddings and wakes have been lifted from June 21, though England will have to wait until July 19 at the earliest before all COVID-19 restrictions are scrapped.
June 21 was coined as “Freedom Day,” the due date for the last stage of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, with all restrictions lifted at the same time.
That date was delayed until at least July 19 after a spike in cases, as well as to allow for the vaccination programme to continue gathering momentum and to monitor the new Delta variant.
There were some restrictions lifted from June 21, though, as care home residents will no longer need to self-isolate after leaving their care homes.
As well as this, residents of care homes can also nominate one person to be an “essential caregiver” who can visit even if the resident is self-isolating.
Large scale test events can continue, as well as capacity trials at music festivals and football matches at Euro 2020, while Wimbledon will have a full crowd for the men’s and women’s finals.
Children can attend overnight trips in groups of 30 and weddings and wakes, which had been restricted to 30 guests, will now be able to host as many people as the venue can safely accommodate, though risk assessments will have to be filled out beforehand.
However, we will have to wait until at least July 19 before all legal limits on social contact are removed, and nightclubs can reopen.
The hospitality sector will also have to stick to reduced numbers and table service until the next lockdown stage, and indoor venues will be capped at 50% capacity.
There will be a review of the restrictions on July 5, to ensure that it will be safe to lift regulations on July 19.
Adults of all ages are now being invited to book their COVID-19 vaccinations, as Lincolnshire has now administered over 900,000 either first or second doses of the jab.
In Lincolnshire, there was a 53% rise in coronavirus cases from last week, with 591 positive cases reported in the last seven days to Sunday.
A 53% rise in COVID-19 cases in Lincolnshire last week has continued across the weekend.
The latest figures show there were 591 coronavirus cases in the seven days to Sunday — compared to the 387 cases the previous week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded over the weekend 75 new cases in Lincolnshire, 79 in North East Lincolnshire and 15 in North Lincolnshire.
There were no deaths reported in government figures over the weekend, however a decrease in numbers early in the week was due to residents being more accurately designated to their correct addresses.
NHS England no longer reports deaths over the weekend, however, there was one local hospital death in Greater Lincolnshire’s four health trusts last week.
A number of coronavirus restrictions were due to be lifted on Monday, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week confirmed a delay of four weeks to July 19 with a review of July 5.
Boris Johnson speaking on June 14.
However, weddings and wakes will have the cap of 30 guests removed, while care home residents will no longer have to quarantine for 14 days after days out.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told Sky News on Monday morning that it was “unlikely” coronavirus restrictions would be lifted early and that he would “err on the side of caution”.
Meanwhile Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed plans for an autumn booster jab programme.
Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast that the government was waiting fro the results of clinical trials into which combinations of vaccines were most effective.
Elsewhere a million extra jabs were booked in two days after social networks such as Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok and Reddit launched campaigns encouraging young people to get theirs.
It comes as data suggests 13% of those aged 16-29 are unsure about getting the jab, the highest levels of vaccine hesitancy.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Sunday, June 20
61,774 cases (up 169)
42,714 in Lincolnshire (up 75)
9,869 in North Lincolnshire (up 15)
9,191 in North East Lincolnshire (up 79)
2,194 deaths (no change)
1,622 from Lincolnshire (no change)
302 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
270 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,312 hospital deaths (no change)
816 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
42 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
453 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
4,630,040 UK cases, 127,976 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF THE LATEST UPDATE. POSTCODE DATA INCLUDES DEATHS NOT IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES OR IN HOSPITALS OUTSIDE AUTHORITY BOUNDARIES.
Police are looking for a man in connection with an incident of burglary and fraud in Lincoln.
Bank cards were reported stolen from a property on College Close on April 12, before being used to purchase tobacco and cigarettes from the Co-op at Riseholme Road.
CCTV footage has been released on June 20 by police, and they would like to speak to the man in the picture.
He has been described as a white male of medium to slim build, wearing a blue baseball cap with white letters or a logo on the front.
He is also seen wearing a black fleece jacket with a hood and pockets at the side, as well as a zip front, with grey jogging bottoms and black Adidas running style trainers with the silver ‘three stripes’ logo.
The man pictured was also carrying a blue carrier bag in his left hand, and had a light blue surgical mask on, obscuring the bottom half of his face.
If you can assist police with this investigation, or know who the man is, contact officers in one of the following ways:
Call 101 and quote incident 182 of April 15
Email [email protected] and use the same incident reference in the subject box
Whatsapp
