Choirboy victim faces abuser behind ‘horrific manipulation’ in court as former law firm partner is jailed

THE choirboy victim of a manipulative paedophile has told how his life was plunged into chaos after being abused.
Stuart Eager outside Portsmouth Crown Court. (020119-1)Stuart Eager outside Portsmouth Crown Court. (020119-1)
Stuart Eager outside Portsmouth Crown Court. (020119-1)

Facing Stuart Eager at Portsmouth Crown Court the victim, now a grown man, revealed how he turned to drugs and gambling after being preyed upon by the 70-year-old who has a ‘tendency for young boys’.

Jurors at Eager’s trial this week heard how the perpetrator used a ‘driving lesson’ to get the boy alone before groping him and putting his hand down his underwear.

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Speaking in court today following Eager’s conviction on Thursday, the victim said: ‘I stopped going to school around the age of 14 and used gambling and drugs to escape.

Stuart Eager, 70, was jailed at Portsmouth Crown Court for four years after being convicted of three charges of indecent assault. Picture: Hampshire policeStuart Eager, 70, was jailed at Portsmouth Crown Court for four years after being convicted of three charges of indecent assault. Picture: Hampshire police
Stuart Eager, 70, was jailed at Portsmouth Crown Court for four years after being convicted of three charges of indecent assault. Picture: Hampshire police

‘It took me 30 years to realise that not dealing with it had not worked - if I had spoken out I'm sure my life would have taken a different turn.’

Jurors heard the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police in 2017 that he was assaulted at Budds Farm in Havant, on the way home from choir practice.

Former law firm partner Eager, who was in his 30s when the abuse took place, stood motionless in the dock at Portsmouth Crown Court today, refusing to look his victim in the eye as judge William Ashworth told him that his actions led to a 'fundamental change' in the victim.

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Judge Ashworth jailed Eager, of Lady Lane, Blunsdon, Swindon, for four years after the defendant was convicted of three charges of indecent assault against the boy aged 11-12. Eager had denied the charges.

The defendant, who in the 1980s had been convicted of similar offences against boys in Wymering, Portsmouth, even noted in a diary about giving the boy a ‘driving lesson’ - which was used as a sick cover for the abuse.

Addressing Eager, judge Ashworth said: 'This young boy went from being well-behaved to a child who ran away from home and had trouble at school.

'Rather than being a solicitor you have been working in various trades - but the price you have paid is nothing compared to the utter misery that you have reduced the victim's life to.

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'This is aggravated by the fact that this wasn't the first time that you had done this - and you also told the victim that it would be him who got into trouble if he told anyone.'

Eager was given a sentence of four years for all three offences, which will be served concurrently.

Speaking to The News outside court, his victim has urged others in his position to speak out.

He said: 'To me it's not about whether he got 30 days or 30 years - it's about speaking out and being listened to.

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'The impact on my life has been immense. What affects you as a child moulds you into an adult.

'But I hope that my story can help others to speak out, and make it harder for these sexual deviants to get away with what they've done.'

Mitigating, Nadia Chbat said that the offences had taken place during a 'dark time' in the 1980s, and that Eager looks after a 90-year-old woman.

Hampshire police’s Detective Sergeant Julia Nicol, who led the investigation, said: 'The horrific manipulation and abuse perpetrated by Eager has had a significant impact on this young boy’s life.

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'He was only 11 or 12 at the time of these offences, which makes them all the more shocking and depraved.

'The boy, now a grown man, harboured this secret for decades, during which he struggled to cope with life and school, his identity, and suffered terribly with his mental health.

'His childhood was stolen from him, and his adult life was spent trying to come to terms with the trauma.

'It is only in the last couple of years that he has found the courage to come forward, and I wholeheartedly commend him for that.

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'I have no doubt that there are many people out there that have suffered similar abuse, and spent decades struggling with the trauma, that have not yet found the confidence to report it to police.

'I would like to assure those people that they are not alone, and we are here to listen to them and support them if they wish to make an allegation.'

A spokesperson for the NSPCC added: ‘Trying to cope alone with the mental and emotional scars of child sexual abuse can have a devastating and life-changing impact on victims.

‘Some remain silent for years due to feelings of shame, guilt and embarrassment.

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‘They may also worry that they won’t be believed if they break their silence – but by coming forward they can access the help and support they need to enable them to move forward with their lives.

‘We hope the jailing of Eager gives other victims of child abuse the courage to speak out so they too can seek justice and start to rebuild their lives.’