A ‘PROLIFIC’ sexual offender has been convicted of 39 counts of child abuse spanning a 30-year period in Bromley.

Leslie Burrell, aged 62, of Whitefoot Lane, Downham, of appeared at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday (July 5) and was found guilty of almost 40 counts including rape, sexual activity with a child and taking indecent photographs of a child.

The horror he inflicted on his victims meant many had to give evidence shielded behind a screen or through pre-recorded interviews.

The London deputy chief crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, Andrew Baxter, praised those who came forward for their bravery.

He said: “Burrell is a prolific sexual offender who preyed mainly on young boys over a period of more than three decades.

“He carried out hundreds of acts of sexual abuse in the Bromley area between 1972 and 2007.

“Burrell gained the trust of his victims before cruelly exploiting this trust in order to carry out repeated sexual abuse.

“Today he has finally been brought to justice thanks to the courage of his victims to come forward and speak out against their abuser.”