Paedophile Aaron Blake used uniform for access to children

Blake, aged 69, of Kirkham in Lancashire, has been jailed for five years and two months following a police investigation which found he had abused three boys while working with Cub Scouts in the 1980s.

The crimes came to light after Blake told someone who knew of his previous convictions that he wanted to play Father Christmas in local schools.

One of his victims had already complained to police in November, 2018 and Blake’s arrest in December then led to two further victims being identified, said Lancashire Police.

Blake was jailed for nine months in 1996 for indecent assault on a 12-year-old boy. In 2011 he was convicted of making indecent photographs of children and received a community order.

Simon Morris, of Lancashire Constabulary, said: “Blake abused these young boys over a number of years and robbed them of their innocence to satisfy his own depraved sexual desires.”

Leigh Day partner Alison Millar, who leads the law firm’s abuse team, said:

“Paedophiles typically repeat patterns of behaviour which see them deliberately position themselves in places where there will be children who they can abuse for their personal sexual gratification. They will typically use ‘uniforms’ that have happy associations for children to worm their way into roles of trust.

“The circumstances of Blake’s arrest are a reminder that the public need to be alert to predatory behaviour and to raise the alarm when they see it. I commend the action of the person who alerted police to Blake’s intentions.”