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The founder of an LGBT “pride” group in the United Kingdom has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for what the BBC described as a “string of sexual offences against children.” Stephen Ireland, 41, was sentenced to 24 years in prison by a judge last week for raping a child he met on a gay dating app. Ireland met a 12-year-old boy online and became aware he was not of age, but told the child they could enter into a relationship as long as it was kept “secret,” the BBC reported. The man took the young boy to an...

The founder of a Pride group, who raped an 'extremely vulnerable' boy who he met on Grindr, has been jailed for 13 years. Stephen Ireland, 42, who co-founded Pride in Surrey in 2018, raped the child at the flat he shared with his then partner and co-defendant David Sutton, 27, in Addlestone on April 19, 2024. Ireland had arranged for the 12-year-old boy, referred to in court as Child A, to meet him at his flat after messaging on dating app Grindr, the court heard. The boy, who had been reported missing at the time, told police they had sex...

A man accused of multiple child sex offences allegedly raped a 12-year-old boy and smoked a bong with him at his flat, a trial has heard. Stephen Ireland, 40, who co-founded Pride in Surrey in 2018, is facing 35 charges while his flatmate David Sutton, 27, a volunteer with the organisation, is accused of 20 offences. The pair targeted "children for their sexual proclivities", Guildford Crown Court was told. The defendants have denied all the charges and jurors were told they would argue the allegations were ill-founded and untrue. Mr Ireland is alleged to have met a 12-year-old boy at...

The patron of an LGBT+ charity that encouraged toddlers to question their gender has been charged child sex abuse offences including rape. Stephen Ireland is accused of raping a child, multiple sexual assaults, voyeurism, making indecent photographs of youngsters as well as plotting to kidnap a child. The 40-year-old, who was listed as a director of Pride in Surrey until June, appeared in court on Thursday accused of committing the offences over a two-year period from August 2022 to last month. He was joined in court by David Sutton, 26, a fellow former Pride in Surrey volunteer who is accused...