A former scout leader who served a year in prison for sex crimes in the 90s has been sentenced to prison for further abuse

A former Burnett scout leader jailed in the 90s for child sexual abuse has been sentenced to prison again after another victim from his past came forward.

A former Burnett scout leader will spend at least the next 18 months behind bars, after the serial predator pleaded guilty to a historic child sex offences against a young boy.

The Kingaroy District Court heard horrific details about the abuse, and the impact the crimes still have on the victim nearly 40 years later.

Peter Brocklesby, 67, faced the court on June 24, to be sentenced on six charges – three counts of indecent practice between males, two counts of unnatural offences and one count of threat.

It‘s the second time the former scout leader has been sentenced for child sex abuse, having faced court in 1993 for offending during the name period which ended with a three-year prison sentence – of which he served one year.

The newly dealt with offences occurred between 1980 and 1985 when the victim was aged between 10 and 15 and part of the Wondai Scouts troop.

Much of the offending occurred during trips relating to the scouts or at the Scout hall in Wondai. Brocklesby was 26 to 32 during the time of the offending.

Crown prosecutor Alex Stark said the offending had been so continuous that the victim could not remember all the dates and places the abuse occurred.

Peter Brocklesby, 67, was sentenced to six years prison in Kingaroy District Court on June 24, 2021, for child sex offences. Picture: Dominic Elsome

The court was told the complaint was able to particularise four occasions of abuse, beginning with an evening where the defendant asked the victim to stay to help clean the scout hall.

Brocklesby used a rumour that he had a tattoo of Pop-Eye on his testicles in order to force the victim to perform oral sex on him. The court heard the boy vomited after the abuse.

On two separate occasions, Brocklesby attempted to have anal sex with the boy but he “cried out in pain” forcing Brocklesby to stop.

At some point in 1985, while driving home with Brocklesby, the victim threatened to reveal the abuse and Brocklesby cried, telling the boy he “couldn‘t help it”.

“He then became angry and said words to the effect of ‘see that fire there’, pointing to a fire burning in a sawmill dump, ‘I‘ll kill you and I’ll burn your body in there’,“ Mr Stark told the court.

This threat scared the victim so much he got out of the car and ran away, before running away from his home and living in Brisbane.

The victim made a formal complaint in February 2019, with Brocklesby initially denying the allegations.

Brocklesby’s barrister Catherine Cuthbert submitted that his lack of offending since his sentence in 1993 showed he had rehabilitated.

She also told the court he had recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia and complex PTSD, and that he had a difficult upbringing with a violent alcoholic father.

Judge Nicole Kefford noted the victim impact statement, which explained the devastating and ongoing effects of the abuse.

“It‘s affected his schooling that has affected his future. He now has children and doesn’t go to clubs or sporting events because of his mistrust in them,” Judge Kefford said.

She described the offending as a breach of trust, saying the predator “abused” his position.

Brocklesby was sentenced to six years‘ jail, and will be eligible for parole on December 24, 2022.