Women accuse Scouts of ‘silencing’ them over sexual abuse claims against group leader

Two women have accused the Scouts of “silencing” them over claims of sexual abuse.

They accuse the organisation of “protecting” Phillip Perks who was allowed to keep his position for around seven years after his alleged conduct was reported to a Scout commissioner.

The 55-year-old, who led a scout unit in Penarth, just south of Cardiff, for 20 years, was arrested and questioned by police after being reported in March last year.

He was found dead a few days later.

An inquest into his death is yet to be held but it is believed he took his own life.

The two women claim the abuse took place when they were teenagers and Scout members, according to the PA news agency.

They say they reported the abuse to other Scout leaders in the mid-2000s and again in 2016.

Scouts Cymru kept Perks on until his suspension, days before he died, and he received Scouting’s highest award in 2020.

A Scouts spokesman told Sky News it was “in communication” with the women and it was “taking the information they’ve given us very seriously”.

South Wales Police confirmed they had been investigating Mr Perks, from Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan, on suspicion of sexual assault by touching.

A force spokesperson said he died while he was on bail “prior to a charging decision being reached by the Crown Prosecution Service”.

A solicitor representating the two complainants are now pursuing a civil claim against the Scouts so that they can “obtain a sense of justice and closure”.

One of the women said she felt there was “a systematic attempt to silence us and get us to drop it”, while the second alleged victim said: “It just feels like they’re protecting him, or his reputation.”

It is alleged a commissioner was told about one of the women’s allegations in 2016. It is understood he denies this.

He has since been suspended from his position and is the subject of an internal investigation.

Tributes to Mr Perks posted by the social media accounts of local Scouts groups after his death have this week been taken down.

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A Scouts spokesman told Sky News: “The safety of young people in our care is our number one priority.

“We are aware of this case and are in communication with the two young women who have shared their story.

“We are taking the information they’ve given us very seriously.

“This is a complex and detailed case and we have worked with the police on the issues raised, particularly around the issue of other potential victims.

“We are progressing our own internal investigations and we aim to have that concluded by March 2023. At that point we will make sure that we share with the two young women at the heart of this case with our conclusions.

“If wrongdoing can be established by those who volunteer with us, then we will take appropriate action and if necessary, permanently exclude them from membership of the Scouts.

“Our number one priority remains the safety of young people in our care.

“We work together with statutory agencies and other parties to share relevant information to ensure the safeguarding of young people.

“Everyone at Scouts works to a strict code of practice to put young people first.”