A child abuser who attempted to evade justice by faking severe illness has been sentenced after the Crown Prosecution Service and police combined to prove he was lying about his condition.

John Siddell, 41, from Ashington in Northumberland, abused three young boys under the age of 14 between 2018 and 2021 while he was living in Leicestershire.

The boys, supported by family members, came forward to report the abuse in 2022. Siddell, aided by his brother James, presented in his police interviews as unable to walk or talk. He implied he had suffered a stroke and could therefore not have committed the offences due to his disability.

Siddell continued to present at court and at appointments to assess his fitness to take part in court proceedings in this way, eventually persuading court professionals that he was unfit to take part in a trial.

As is normal in these circumstances, the court heard the evidence in a fact finding hearing and a jury determined on the basis of the evidence from the victims that Siddell had committed the abuse against the victims.

The CPS prosecutor in the case and the detective in charge of the investigations were suspicious of Siddell’s claims, so the CPS offered to provide the court with an additional report to assist with the conclusion of the case.

This report revealed that Siddell was faking his disability and that James Siddell was complicit in the deception.

The CPS reinstated criminal proceedings in relation to the abuse. After investigations by Leicestershire and Northumbria police forces into their claims that Siddell was disabled, the CPS charged both John and James Siddell with perverting the course of justice.

At a trial at Leicester Crown Court, John Siddell was found guilty of the sexual abuse and both were convicted of perverting the course of justice. At Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday 12 May, John Siddell was sentenced to a total of 15 years imprisonment with an extended licence of two years and James Siddell sentenced to 33 months imprisonment. John Siddell was made the subject of a 20-year sexual harm prevention order.

Nicola Potts of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “While much of the attention in this case will be the lies and antics of the Siddell brothers, at the heart of this are three victims of sexual abuse who had their childhood snatched from them by John Sidell’s cruel manipulation. His cynical lies and the support he received from James was a further insult to these victims.

“Our dedication to giving these victims the justice they deserved has been absolute. These defendants thought they could trick their way out of justice, but John Siddell has been exposed as a cynical, dishonest predator and James Siddell for his complicity in his brother’s criminal activities. They have faced the full force of the law for their vile offending.”

Building the case – exposing lies in court

This case had two significant elements to it. Evidence of the abuse of the three victims was clear. Each gave compelling accounts of the occasions they had encountered John Siddell and the abuse he inflicted on them.

The CPS secured the personal accounts from the victims about what had happened to them using a pre-recorded video interview. The victims were also allowed by the court to be cross-examined on their evidence in a pre-recorded video format. This helped these vulnerable victims give their best evidence without having to do it in a court hearing.

Siddell did not offer an alternative account. Instead of denying the allegation, he refused to respond, pretending he could not move. He attended his interviews in a wheelchair with his head on one side, while James Siddell asserted that he had suffered a stroke and could not have committed the abuse due to his severe mobility issues.

The defendants made this claim to the court, who found Siddell unfit to plead and held a fact-finding hearing. As Siddell was considered unable to take part in criminal proceedings, the court had to consider how to conclude the case and considered either a discharge or a supervision order. The CPS prosecutor and the officer in the case were monitoring the case closely and had suspicions about the truth of the Siddells’ assertions.

When James Siddell put himself forward as John Siddell’s supervisor, the CPS prosecutor and the officer in the case became even more suspicious and believed there could be a risk to future victims if Siddell was not as severely impaired as he claimed. The CPS offered the court to secure an additional report to assist with the suitability of the options open to the court. That report concluded that there was a strong possibility that Siddell was faking his disability.

It is one thing to have suspicions, but proving that a defendant is faking a disability requires a high standard of evidence. The CPS prosecutor and the officer in the case worked together to gather the evidence needed. Statements from people the brothers knew revealed that they were regularly out socialising and interacting with other people.

The prosecution team secured video evidence of Siddell walking and socialising, including footage from his own Ring doorbell of him doing domestic chores, footage of him out socialising at his local working men’s club and a clip of him using his wheelchair to transport household goods.

Police footage showed him adjusting clothing and moving independently when he was in police custody thinking nobody was looking.

On the basis of this evidence, the CPS decided he should face full criminal charges for abusing the victims and that he and James Siddell should be charged with perverting the course of justice.

The attempts at deception continued right up to the trial. Siddell claimed he could not get into court in his wheelchair, so could not get in to his own court hearing. As a response to this further claim, the police secured video footage of him getting into the prison van unassisted that same morning for the prosecution to show the court. He was brought into court and the trial proceeded.