Portslade cub scout leader jailed for decades-long child abuse

A former cub scout leader dubbed a “paedophile hiding in plain sight” has been jailed for sexually assaulting boys as young as seven since the 1990s.

Ian Silvester, of Locks Hill in Portslade, East Sussex, had befriended his victims working as a babysitter, diving instructor, first aid trainer and St John Ambulance trainer.

He had previously denied 83 charges of historical sexual abuse in Hove and Worthing, but was found guilty of 79 of those charges following a trial at Lewes Crown Court in November.

Silvester, 60, was sentenced to 16 years in prison with an additional six years on licence at the same court on Friday.