Malcolm Burwood 79

Description

A sex offender who abused a young boy and left him feeling like he had "no hope or future" has died behind bars.

Former soldier Malcolm Burwood subjected his young and "frightened" child victim to horrific sex attacks and left him so "haunted" he tried to take his own life. A court heard the youngster had been threatened to keep quiet about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Burwood, from Houghton-le-Spring.

But half a century later, in March 2019, Burwood was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of four sex offences. He was also made to sign the sex offenders register for life.

During the sentencing, Burwood's victim told Newcastle Crown Court: "I clearly remember being a very frightened child. This has haunted me, it has blighted my life." He added: "I have felt there is no hope or future. It is like a storm inside of me."

The court heard Burwood, who was 79 at the time he was jailed, had a "catalogue" of medical problems, including obstructive airways disease, renal failure and hearing loss. He also had a wife who was seriously ill in hospital.

The judge told him: "Prison is going to be harder for you to endure than a young and fit man but the central argument is, had you gone to the police at the time of this offending, you would have served your prison sentence when you were young and fit."

A Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) report published this month confirmed that Burwood died of prostate cancer on April 7, 2024. At an inquest on May 30, the coroner concluded Burwood died of natural causes.