Former choirmaster who received MBE committed 'horrifying' child sex offences over four decades

A former teacher and choirmaster who abused boys and young men over more than four decades has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

David Pickthall, 66, previously admitted offences against 19 victims, including 16 counts of indecent assault and three counts of making an indecent image of a child.

Pickthall, of Cheveley in Cambridgeshire, showed his victims pornographic material, filmed them without their consent while they stayed at his home and assaulted them when they were alone.

He also obtained indecent images of children via social media, and in the months before his arrest in 2021, Pickthall engaged in sexual communication with a 15-year-old boy on the messaging app Telegram.

The offences were committed between 1980 and 2021, during which time Pickthall worked as a teacher and choirmaster in Essex.

He was made an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2015 for services to education and charity, and worked on the Oscar-winning 1993 comedy film 'Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers'.

Pickthall was sentenced to 12 years in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday 11 November, and a further four years on extended licence.

One survivor said he tried to forget about the abuse but came forward to protect his own child.

He said: "I struggled to fit in, and music was the thing I was good at.

"It should have been my safe space.

"And I now wonder, was I actually that good at music, or just someone vulnerable enough to prey upon?"

He thanked Det Con Chelsie Stamford, who led the investigation, calling her a "superstar".

Stamford praised the survivors' courage but said she believes there are more victims of Pickthall's abuse.

She added: "My message to you is please come and talk to us.

"You will be listened to, and we will investigate."

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