Group leader who groped two children is jailed.

A Scout leader was sentenced to 28 months in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two children.

Stephen Boulton, 72, of Brislington, pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual assault of a child aged under 13. The court heard that Boulton, a respected member of the Scouting Association for decades, had been advised about inappropriate touching on a previous occasion.

Despite this, Boulton went on to sexually assault two children. The first complainant disclosed what Boulton had done, and their parents contacted the police. Boulton was arrested and initially denied any wrongdoing.

However, police discovered that Boulton had received "words of advice" from the Scouts' safeguarding team after a previous incident. Another young person also came forward, claiming that Boulton had put his hand down their trousers and touched their bottom.

Boulton was interviewed again and made a prepared statement denying any sexual intent. He was sentenced to 28 months in prison and handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The judge, Euan Ambrose, told Boulton: "You had previously been warned about your behaviour regarding a different child. Your actions had a significant impact on each child. Only immediate imprisonment constitutes appropriate punishment."

Boulton was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years and was barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.

The mother of the second complainant stated: "I feel disturbed, upset and sickened. It feels horrible someone has abused [my child]. I actually want to attack the man; I wouldn't do this." She said she regretted that she did not have the strength to go to police before they came to her.

The complainant wrote a note in which they said: "I hope to get justice so I can forget about it. I don't want more children to go through what I have."

A Scouting Association spokesman said: "The safety of all our members is our number one priority. It is at the heart of our decision-making. We carry out stringent vetting of all adults who work with young people and work together with statutory agencies to share relevant information to ensure the safeguarding of young people."

"Bolton was suspended from Scouting as soon as we were aware of the allegations made against him and we cooperated fully with the police during their investigations. We are aware of a concern raised about Bolton's behaviour prior to this case. We reported these concerns to the relevant authorities when they occurred. Following the advice of the statutory authorities we investigated these concerns and required Boulton undergo further safeguarding training."

"Bolton's betrayed the trust put in him by young people and parents and there is no place for him in the Scout Movement. It is right that Boulton has been sentenced for his crimes. Boulton was permanently excluded from Scouting and will never volunteer with us again. We will learn from this experience and redouble our efforts to keep young people safe."