Luton paedophile who preyed on children for 20 years convicted of dozens of counts of rape and assault

Carson Grimes, now 65, of Dumfries Street, was living in London when he began abusing children, and his behaviour escalated when he moved to Luton in the 1980s.

Grimes, also known as Carson Phillips, was arrested in February 2018, following an allegation by one of his victims. The man, now in his late 30s, was aged just 11 when Grimes groomed and raped him in the early 1990s.

Grimes denied all the allegations, and a major investigation was launched by Beds Police which revealed a further 11 victims.

The youngest was just five years old when her abuse began.

By March 2021, Grimes had been charged with a total of 42 offences against children and young people.

Over the course of a six-week trial at Luton Crown Court, jurors heard Grimes preyed upon vulnerable boys and girls from troubled backgrounds.

He masqueraded as a friend, offering his home to them and plying them with drink and drugs before subjecting them to horrific sexual abuse and rape.

Although Grimes denied all charges, he was today (Friday) found guilty of 11 counts of rape, eight counts of buggery, 11 counts of indecent assault and six counts of indecency with a child.

In a statement, one of Grimes’ victims said: “As a child, I thought Carson was my friend, and that he cared about me. But he was giving me alcohol and putting drugs in it so he could do what he did. He then made me believe that what he was doing was okay and natural.

“I spent my life lying to cover up what he did. He took away my innocence, caused me to hurt all those around me. He made me confused about who I was and caused me a lifetime of suffering, pain and hurt.”

Senior Crown Prosecutor Rachael Rowley said: “This is a truly shocking case in which a sexual predator systematically took advantage of vulnerable children who did not have strong support networks at home, or were often in trouble with the police themselves, so that he could abuse them without fearing that they would report his crimes.

"When he realised that this method worked, he targeted more victims, and his offences became more severe.

“Grimes’ selfish and depraved actions have traumatised his victims. I commend and thank them for their bravery in coming forward and re-living difficult childhood memories to help the police and the CPS to bring their attacker to justice. I hope that today’s verdict goes some way to helping those victims feel that justice has been delivered.”

Grimes will be sentenced on October 13 at Luton Crown Court.