Stephen Ireland, the founder of Pride in Surrey, and former volunteer David Sutton have been charged with multiple counts of child sexual abuse. Ireland, 40, and Sutton, 26, both residents of Addlestone, were arrested earlier this week. They are set to appear before Staines Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Stephen Ireland, the founder of Pride in Surrey in the UK, has been arrested and charged with 37 counts related to rape and sexual abuse of children under the age of 13!
David Sutton, a volunteer with the organization, also faces multiple child sexual abuse charges.
Is anyone… pic.twitter.com/FKUGeKztzw
— Billboard Chris 🇨🇦🇺🇸 (@BillboardChris) August 16, 2024
Ireland and Sutton were suspended from Pride in Surrey in June after the organization was informed by Surrey police about an ongoing investigation. Both are facing several charges, including six counts of conspiracy to sexually assault a child, conspiracy to kidnap a child, voyeurism, and arranging a child sex offense. Ireland also faces an additional 22 charges comprising of the rape of a child under 13, sexual assault, possession of indecent and extreme pornographic images of a child. Sutton also confronts seven more offenses, including distributing indecent photographs of a child.
The alleged offenses took place between August 2022 and the last month. Surrey Police’s investigation into the matter is ongoing.