Scoutmaster Steven Etherington found guilty of two charges of sexual assault
- Victim's father claims scoutmaster may have abused more boys
- 44-year-old has been in charge of more than 100 from the ages of eight to 14
- Accused pleads guilty to common assault - but claims he was not sexually motivated
Scout leader Steven Etherington, 44, is accused of having a fetish for tying up young boys
A scoutmaster has been found guilty of two counts of sexual assault, tying up young boy scouts in bizarre punishment rituals.
Steven Etherington bound the hands and feet of one teen in a 'hog-tie' and whipped him with a wet tea towel for not wearing a high-vis vest while cycling.
Another boy was staked to the ground by the 44-year-old and tied to tent pegs in a star shape to teach him not to be ticklish.
During the trial, Etherington's barrister Mark Bury said his client had never really 'grown up' and likened him to 'Peter Pan'.
However, a jury at Hull Crown Court took just three hours to find him guilty of two counts of sexual assault.
Prosecutor David Gordon said Etherington did it for his own 'sexual gratification'.
Tonight the father of one of the boys, who was not named for legal reasons, voiced fears that Etherington, a scoutmaster and a cub leader in the East Riding area for 20 years, may have targeted other young boys.
The father said: 'I was very shocked. I have taken it quite badly, it's really disturbed me as we trusted him.
'He liked young boys and tying them up for his own sexual gratification. He either got his kicks afterwards or by just doing it.
'If my son hadn't come forward and said something, it can only have got worse, resulting in either physical sexual abuse or he could have hurt them.
'I already know other boys who have been tied up by him when they were young but whether they come forward or not is another thing.
'I'm sure there will be quite a lot of anxious parents. Etherington needs to receive the punishment he deserves.'
Etherington, who is unmarried, was the Scouts' child protection officer in charge of training scout leaders across the Yorkshire district and has looked after more than 100 boys aged eight to 14.
A jury at Hull Crown Court found Etherington guilty of two counts of sexual assault
Scout leaders are given weeks of training and are subjected to CRB checks.
Hull Crown Court heard from the prosecution that Etherington targeted young boys while they were on their own doing odd jobs and helping him to set up camps.
Etherington, from Pocklington, East Yorkshire, allegedly tied up one victim with cable ties as punishment for not wearing a cycle vest.
The boy immediately told his parents, who confronted Etherington.
It is also claimed that he also tied the boy to trees and tickled him or tied him up with rope and challenged him to try to reach chocolate bars.
According to the prosecution he had told his victim it would help them understand what it was like to have a disability.
One victim said Etherington had staked him to the ground with tent pegs tying each wrist and each ankle to a peg in a star shape telling him he would teach him not to be ticklish.
Etherington pleaded guilty to common assault but claimed it was not sexually motivated. However the jury found him guilty of the sexual assault charges.
Detective Constable Mandy Kellington from Humberside Police's Public Protection Unit said: 'I am extremely pleased with the verdict.
'The victims and their families involved with the investigation conducted themselves in a dignified manner in what must have been the most difficult of circumstances, particularly as the defendant was in a position of trust.
'Humberside Police is totally committed to investigating such serious crimes to ensure justice is served.
'I hope that now the victims and their families can put this behind them and move on with their lives.'
Etherington has been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register.
In addition he was immediately banned from ever being a scoutmaster again by the association, which conducts stringent vetting of adults involved with young people.
In response to the news, he burnt his scout uniform and he is due to be sentenced next month.
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