Former royal butler Paul Kidd jailed for 'monstrous' child sex offences
Russell Jenkins | December 24, 2008
A PEDOPHILE royal butler who once introduced a young victim to the Queen Mother at a Clarence House Christmas party has been sentenced to 12 years in jail.
Paul Kidd, 55, once made a living on the after-dinner circuit telling what he described as "hilarious" anecdotes about life below stairs at Buckingham Palace, gathered from his years in royal service during the 1970s.
But he was less forthcoming about his secret life as a serial abuser of teenagers he befriended and groomed.
Judge Mushtaq Khokhar described him as a dangerous man who posed a risk to every teenage boy he met before jailing him for 12 years at Minshull Street Crown Court, in Manchester, northern England. He said he would have to serve a minimum of six years.
Kidd had already pleaded guilty to nine offences of indecent assault, sexual activity with a boy, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, making indecent photographs and possessing indecent images of children. The charges relate to abuse of three people dating back to 1975.
Kidd began work as a butler to the Queen in 1976 and remained at the Palace for six years before transferring to Clarence House, where he performed a similar role for the Queen Mother.
During his royal service, he boasted that he had looked after three US presidents and every monarch in Europe.
He also bragged he had been awarded the Most Noble Order of Merit by the West German president.
After he left Clarence House, he advertised himself as a royal expert ready to give lectures around the world about what made the Queen smile,"those damn corgies", the ghillies (dances) at Balmoral Castle and the "Queen Mother's whip".
His secret life as a predatory groomer of boys as young as 12 emerged last year after he gave a newspaper interview. It prompted one of his victims, now in his 40s, to come forward to complain that Kidd had abused him in the early 1980s when he was 13.
Prosecutor Nicola Gatto told the court that Kidd would befriend his victims' parents as part of the grooming process, and would indulge his victims with treats and trips.
In 1974, he took a 14-year-old on holiday to the Lake District before the abuse began. Later he took him to Clarence House, where he was introduced to the Queen Mother over tea.
Another victim, identified only as Victim A, was 14 in 1981 when Kidd invited him to his flat to discuss a shared interest in CB radios after befriending his parents. A third, more recent, victim, identified as Victim B, was 12 or 13 when he was invited by Kidd to look at his autograph collection of Manchester United players. The abuse began when he was 14.
Ms Gatto described how Kidd introduced the teenager to David Hobday, 57, who was also invited to abuse him. Their victim, a vulnerable lonely boy, said he believed he had a duty to please them.
Victims described how they believed their sexual innocence had been destroyed. One said he felt his whole life was a lie, another resorted to drug addiction because he felt violated and the third said he would carry feelings of shame and guilt for the rest of his life.
When police raided Kidd's home, they found CD discs containing more than 18,000 indecent images of children.
Another disc showed him engaging in sexual activity with a teenager. When asked about it in interview, he said: "I know which clip you are talking about and he is 17 years old. It was just messing about."
Judge Khokhar told Kidd he was a dangerous man who posed a risk to all the young people he might come across.
Hobday, who pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child and possessing an indecent image, was jailed for three years.
Detective Constable James Teggart, of the Child Protection Unit, described the abuse as "monstrous".
"The pair are sexual predators who have manipulated their victims and subjected them to the most horrific abuse time and again," he said.
"The victims have had their childhoods taken away from them and will have to deal with what they have been put through for the rest of their lives.
"I would like to praise the courage of those who came forward and helped bring this evil pair to justice."
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 03,00.html