A former social worker and a Deans Verger has pleaded guilty to child sexual offences after specialist officers retrieved a wealth of historical evidence to help prove his guilt.
Clive McCleester, 77 (05.08.45) of St Cross Road, Winchester pleaded guilty at the Inner London Crown Court on Monday, 26 June to eight counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency with a child, against two teenage boys.
Detective Sergeant Hannah Stewart, from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime, said: “This has been a long and arduous investigation with McCleester maintaining his innocence throughout. We are pleased he has finally admitted his guilt just three days before we were due to take him to trial to present our case.
“The initial victim survivor, having sadly passed away after giving police his evidence, was unable to hear the guilty verdict but his family represented him at court in his absence. The second victim survivor was also sexually abused and exploited by McCleester – a verger in his Cathedral. The impact to both at such a young age has been devastating. They have been extremely brave and shown tremendous strength and courage.”
At the time of one of the offences McCleester was employed as a child welfare officer at Tylney Hall School in Hampshire, between 1960 and 1971.
The first victim was aged between 13 to 15-years-old at the time of the offences. McCleester resided at the boarding school in his own private residence and was assigned as a welfare officer to look after the victim following the death of his Grandmother. The abuse took place between 1 January 1969 and April 1971.
The victim survivor disclosed his abuse to police after speaking with a counsellor. Sadly he will never know the final outcome of this investigation as he died in August 2020. Detectives remained in contact with his family throughout.
Specialist Crime detectives launched an investigation.
A second victim survivor came forward to police and disclosed the abuse he had also suffered at the hands of McCleester. He was around 13-years-old when he was abused by McCleester at Southwark Cathedral between 1 January 1984 and May 1987. He was a chorister at the Cathedral where McCleester was the Head Verger. He was abused at McCleester’s flat which was within the vicarage.
Due to the time frame of the offences, specialist officers gathered and reviewed a vast amount of historical documentation to obtain the necessary evidence. They interrogated systems, old archived files and employment records from the local authority and Southwark Cathedral to trace individuals to assist with the investigation. Former pupils were traced and interviewed. They also obtained specialist medical reports to corroborate the two victim accounts.
DS Stewart continued : “The officers involved in this case have worked relentlessly and shown incredible commitment to securing these convictions. Both victim/families feel they have been failed by institutions that were supposed to protect them. We hope they can feel an element of peace knowing that justice has been finally served. McCleester is a vile predator who has no place in society.
“We urge anyone who has been a victim of McCleester to come forward to police. We will support you.”
The pandemic hindered the investigation due to archives being closed. In February 2022 McCleester was charged with the offences mentioned. An initial trial was set for October 2022 but was deferred to 26 June 2023, where he pleaded guilty.
Advice and details of charities that can offer support to victims of sexual offences can be found on the Met’s website. The Met has specially trained officers who will listen and support you through the investigative process.
He will be sentenced on Monday, 10 July.
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Southwark said: “Clive McCleester, a former senior employee of Southwark Cathedral, was convicted today on charges of safeguarding offences which took place in the 1980s. We have cooperated fully with the police in the course of their investigations.
“We would like to offer a full and unreserved apology to all those affected by this matter and we commend the bravery of those who brought this to light, acknowledging how difficult and distressing this would have been.
“We are profoundly sorry for the abuse perpetrated by Mr McCleester and are committed to doing everything possible to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and adults, who look to us for respect and care. Mr McCleester’s crimes are a grievous breach of trust, which will have life-long effects.
“The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is our highest priority and we continually monitor our practice and processes to ensure that safeguarding remains at the heart of everything we do. The Cathedral’s Social Care Institute for Excellence audit undertaken in 2020 was positive about our safeguarding work – nevertheless, we recognise that there is always more to learn, more to be done to ensure the safety of all those with whom we have contact.
“Should anyone wish to share a Safeguarding concern or need support, they can contact our Safeguarding team on 020 7939 9444 (office hours) or 020 3874 6743 (out of hours) or visit the Safe Spaces website: www.safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk. Our prayers are with everyone affected by this matter.”
