After more than 27 years on the run, a serial paedophile has finally been caught with the help of artificial intelligence.
On Wednesday, 30th April, Richard Burrows, 81, was jailed for 46 years, receiving 97 charges of child sexual abuse while working as a housemaster at a Cheshire boarding school and alongside scout groups in the West Midlands between the late 1960s and mid-1990s.
After Burrows left the country following his conviction in 1977, Cheshire Police used a website in 2024, using facial recognition technology to locate Mr. Burrows.
It found him in seconds – in Thailand.
Burrows’ convictions before he escaped to ‘paradise.’
Burrows was charged with several child sexual offences in 1997, after being convicted of 54 charges and admitting to a further 43.
Burrows failed to appear at Chester Crown Court when he was scheduled to enter a plea, leaving victims of his childhood abuse in court as they were getting ready to testify against him.
Det Insp Eleanor Atkinson, who oversaw the 2024 investigation, said that Burrows had been given bail at a previous court appearance, which was a common decision.
Birmingham Police concluded that he had been preparing an escape after finding out he had decided to sell his car after visiting his home. But there was no hint as to where he had gone.
Burrows was not found despite media pleas, including three on the BBC’s Crimewatch show, which encouraged additional victims to come forward.
In 2011, A victim told the BBC that a Crimewatch appeal sent him into ‘a rage’ and prompted him to report what had occurred to him when he was 13 years old.
How AI caught Richard Burrows: A child abuser
In 2024, over 50 years after Burrows started abusing people, and 13 years after the last national television appeal, an officer had the idea of using a website to search for him.
PimEyes, a Polish website established eight years ago, uses AI facial recognition technologies to search the web for similar images, making it open to the public and not specialized for security or law enforcement.
The website eventually discovered several images of Richard Burrows from his 2019 retirement party, complete with a distinctive telltale pimple on his neck, after uploading Burrows’ 1997 custody mugshot.
The images appeared on the website of a Phuket-based publication, which identified him as Peter Smith rather than Richard Burrows.
In less than a minute, this website made the breakthrough that Detectives, Interpol, and Crimewatch appeals had been unable to do for over 25 years.
PimEyes creates debate for a lack of scrutiny
The Metropolitan Police has disabled PimEyes on its official devices, despite having alternative facial recognition devices.
Civil rights and privacy activists have raised concerns about the use of similar websites, with organizations like Liberty, Privacy International, Big Brother Watch, and Refuge claiming authorities may misuse the technology for a lack of scrutiny.
Det Insp Atkinson acknowledges concerns about online facial recognition systems, but highlights the Burrows case as an example of how websites like PimEyes can help law enforcement combat war crimes, terrorism, human trafficking, and minors crimes.
The Information Commissioners’ Office Watchdog advises police departments to use face recognition technology responsibly.
Burrows fraudulently obtained passports under the name of Peter Leslie Smith
Cheshire Police discovered Burrows’ escape route was straightforward, following his identification by Pimeyes. Burrows taught English in Thailand and worked for a media company controlling newspapers and websites. His bosses denied knowing his history.
In the 1990s, he applied and was granted a legitimate passport using his own picture and the name of a terminally sick acquaintance named Peter Leslie Smith. After that, he travelled with that passport and had it renewed several times without anyone discovering his true identity.
“Peter – or Richard – kept this a total secret for the 27 years he was living on the island.”
Tim Newton, a local journalist who met Burrows at Phuket’s business events stated “He was just good old Peter Smith, we all knew him like that – no one had any idea that he had any other name.”
Burrows had said his time in Chalong Bay, on the island of Phuket, was ‘paradise.’
Officers quickly discovered he had voluntarily booked a flight from Thailand to Heathrow Airport. In which, officers waited for his arrival to arrest him as he stepped off the plane in March 2024.
Burrows was convicted a year after he arrived back in Britain.
He later told his trial he had decided to come back after 28 years because he had ‘run out of money’ adding that those years on the run in Thailand had been ‘paradise’.
His victim told the BBC he had had to ‘bottled up’ his emotions for decades. Adding “I’m really angry that he had 27 good years.”
Frequently asked questions
Where might historic abuse occur?
Historic abuse, also known as non-accidental abuse, refers to physical, sexual, or emotional attacks on a person, often occurring when the attacker holds power over the victim, and can occur in a single incident or be repeated over time.
Institutional child sexual abuse may occur in organizational settings like after-school clubs or religious institutions.
Some examples of this include the following:
- School staff attacking pupils
- Young people abused in children’s homes
- Football coaches preying on children in their coaching teams
- Youth group leaders singling out children (often on trips away from home)
- Religious staff attacking children
- Doctors or hospital staff
Who is responsible?
Abuse perpetrators are often financially disadvantaged individuals who may have died or been difficult to trace. It’s common to investigate potential organizations or companies responsible for their actions.
Courts have recognized sexual abuse as an act during employment, requiring employers to hold liability insurance to cover personal injury claims. This insurance is recommended for historic abuse claims, as it covers claims for personal injury made against the employer.
How do I make a claim?
Oakwood Solicitors handles claims through the CICA, which has strict eligibility criteria. However, exceptions can be made for historic abuse cases, such as reporting the incident to the police as soon as possible.
If the victim was a child at the time of the abuse and did not realize the wrongdoing, the CICA may make exceptions.
By using a solicitor to make your claim, you will have a higher chance of a successful outcome with the CICA.
How does the CICA work and the compensation guidelines?
In Historic Abuse cases, the CICA pays out compensation for injuries based on their tariff of injuries. You can only receive compensation for 3 injuries from this tariff, and only the highest valued will be paid the full amount. The second and third highest-valued injuries will be paid at 30% and 15% of the tariff amount, respectively.
In addition to this, the CICA can give awards for special expenses that relate to the abuse. They must be reasonable, necessary and a direct result of the crime for which you are claiming.
In order to claim special expenses, you will need to have experienced a loss of earnings for at least 28 full weeks after the incident. There are a range of special expenses that will be backdated; however, if you wish to claim loss of earnings, this will only be paid from the 29th week onwards.
For more information on the process of claiming for historical abuse, speak to a member of our team.
Further information
Sexual Abuse/ Domestic Abuse Claims – Oakwood Solicitors
Historic sexual abuse claims – Oakwood Solicitors
How AI caught child abuser who fled to ‘paradise’ – BBC
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you.
Molly Frost joined the Firm in June 2024 and specializes in abuse compensation claims. Having over 20 years’ experience helping survivors recover compensation, she is considered an expert in her fie…
Historic abuse claims FAQ
If you are a survivor of sexual abuse or physical assault in the past, it is possible that you might be eligible to seek compensation for the negative impact it has had upon your health.
&nb…
View
Historic sexual abuse claims
If you have been a victim of historical sexual abuse, you may have suffered physically and psychologically for many years. But even if decades have passed since the abuse took place, it is never t…
View
