A National Lottery winner whose syndicate won £2.2million has been unmasked as a paedophile.
Anthony Dugard, 60, pocketed £275,000 as part of a syndicate of eight, alongside his wife, when their numbers came up in a National Lottery draw back in 2009.
Entering the draw with five colleagues from a steel firm, Dugard said a ‘dark cloud’ had lifted because of the win, as he was one of thousands facing redundancy.
Now, some 15 years on, Dugard has been sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of nine child sex offences following a police sting.
Dugard, from Grimsby, in Lincolnshire, travelled to Swindon in July to meet who he thought was a child with the intention of abusing them.
But he was instead met by police officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit as part of an operation to tackle child sex abuse and exploitation.
Dugard was arrested and upon examination of his mobile telephone, police officers became aware of further offences committed against a real child.
The child, who was only 15 years old when she was abused by Dugard, was able to provide evidence that he had coerced and exploited her over several months.
He was charged and subsequently pleaded guilty to a further five child sexual abuse offences.
In her personal impact statement, the victim’s mother said: ‘It makes me so sad that [she] has been through this and I’m so sorry that I couldn’t protect her.
‘The actions of this man have caused me to feel like I have let my daughter down massively and for that I am truly sorry.
‘I am so proud of her and the fact that she has taken the big step of voicing her truths and telling the police what happened to her and take comfort in knowing that she can now find peace and start her healing process, knowing that the wrongs will be righted.
‘[She] has made me very proud by speaking out and in knowing that she will have helped many others in doing so.’
While working as a fire risk assessor, the Grimsby Telegraph reported Dugard spent ‘a lot of time with full-time fire, ambulance and police personnel.’
He later volunteered to help the police and emergency services with a Grimsby charity, Blue Light Brigade, performing home safety checks.
He was also chairman of Park Drive Neighbourhood Watch, when he worked with councillors to tackle antisocial behaviour.
DI David Wells from SWROCU said: ‘Dugard has caused substantial suffering to the victim and her family and I thank her for speaking up about his predatory behaviour.
‘He poses a significant risk to children and I welcome the sentence handed down to him today.’
He was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on Friday, November 22 to four years in prison and will also be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years.
Whilst handing him his sentence, Judge JN Townsend told the court: ‘I pay tribute to the victim in this case to her engagement to the Criminal Justice Process in bringing Mr Dugard to justice.’
Dugard was arrested as part of a proactive police operation led by the Online Investigations Team at the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).
This team works alongside a national network of officers tackling offences online, including child sexual abuse and exploitation.
The NSPCC website has clear and extensive advice for parents and carers, children and young people, and professionals to keep safe online.
If you have concerns about your own use of the internet or inappropriate thoughts or behaviour about children, or you are worried about how someone you know behaves, contact the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.
