January 2013

Predatory paedophile teacher jailed again

A PAEDOPHILE teacher and sea scout leader is back behind bars today after committing further child sex assaults after being released from jail.

Predator Michael Costin, who taught in Felixstowe during the 1990s, was originally jailed for two years by Ipswich Crown Court in May 1996 for four indecent assaults on three sea scouts. He was cleared of six other alleged assaults.

It was alleged that before the 31-year-old’s arrest he had plied youngsters with alcohol.

It has now emerged that after his release from prison Costin, formerly of Graham Road, Felixstowe, went on to live in Abingdon in Oxfordshire. He then moved to Romford, where became chairman of Millwall Rugby Club.

The former geography teacher subsequently carried out sex assaults in Abingdon and Millwall on two teenage boys and a teenage girl.

Costin is currently serving a indeterminate sentence for public protection, during which he must serve a minimum of four years before being eligible to apply for parole.

His latest conviction was at Oxford Crown Court where he faced 22 sex-related charges. He was found guilty of seven counts of sexual activity with a male child under the age of 16 and four counts of sexual activity with a girl under the age of 16. The charges related to his time in Oxfordshire and ranged from July 2007 to 2010.

Costin plied the boy – who was aged 13 when the assaults began – and the youngster’s girlfriend with alcohol and cannabis to maintain sexual relationships with them.

A cutting from The Star in 1996 featuring Michael Costin

He was arrested after he was repeatedly spotted outside a school in Abingdon.

Costin was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy, who he tried to masturbate in a vehicle outside Millwall Rugby Club, in East London. He had previously been expelled as chairman of the club following his arrest.

Costin was found not guilty of three charges, including one of rape. The remainder will lay on file as the jury could not reach a verdict.

Costin will have to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

Previously he had been on the register for 10 years following the assaults in Suffolk.

After his 1996 Ipswich Crown Court sentencing it emerged that allegations were first made about Costin in 1993 after parents claimed he had been talking about sex during geography lessons.

However, a school inquiry failed to find he had done anything wrong, and a police investigation did not lead to an arrest.

In February 1994 another complaint was made against Costin by parents alleging he had given their sons drugs. Although there was another police inquiry it was felt there was not enough evidence to prosecute.

Costin was finally arrested in early 1995 after parents talked to a senior drugs’ squad officer who was giving a lecture at the school, and a further investigation began.

Now, a Star investigation has led to the discovery that Costin, 47, was convicted again in Oxford in October 2011.

November 2011

Romford paedophile Michael Costin jailed

A former Suffolk teacher and scout leader from Romford has been jailed for 10 years for a series of sexual offences against children.

Michael Costin, 46, of Lincoln Avenue, was found guilty at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday October 26 of seven counts of sexual activity with a boy aged between 13 and 15 years old, four counts of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl and sexual assault on a 17-year-old boy.

The offences, involving children from the Vale of White Horse area of Oxfordshire, happened between 2007 and 2010.

Police said Costin took the victims on camping trips before plying them with alcohol and cannabis and abusing them.

Costin, a former teacher in Suffolk and scout leader was also convicted of similar offences at Ipswich Crown Court in 1996 and sentenced to two years imprisonment and made to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

Costin had previously been chairman of the Millwall Rugby Club in the Docklands but was expelled following his arrest.

A club spokesman at the time emphasised that Costin had no involvement with the youth section of the club.

On Wednesday Costin was given an indeterminate sentence of 10 years imprisonment, made to sign the sex offenders’ register for life and disqualified from working with children indefinitely.

He will serve a minimum four years behind bars before being considered for parole.

After the hearing, Thames Valley Det Con Peter Semczyszyn said: “I am obviously very pleased with this sentence as Michael Costin is a devious and manipulative individual who gets himself in a position of trust before abusing his victims.

“I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of these young people and their families and I would hope this sentence brings them some sort of closure to what has been a very distressing time.”