Ex-Wolverhampton City Council high-flier is jailed for abusing boy
The former assistant director of children's services at Wolverhampton City Council has been jailed for nine years for sexually abusing a teenager.
Brian O'Leary, aged 66, worked at the council from 1991 until 2011 in a number of positions but the offences were committed while he was a social worker in Droitwich.
O'Leary, branded a 'sexual predator' by police was found guilty after a four-day trial at Worcester Crown Court. The court heard that the attacks took place between October 1979 and June 1980 when his victim was a 15-year-old resident at a now closed children's home in the town.
O'Leary invited the youngster round to his house where the attacks took place. Prosecutor Andrew Wallace said: "It wasn't simply a one-off – this was a course of conduct."
The court was told the the victim said O'Leary had told him: "I'm not hurting you, I'm just showing you a bit of affection." And that afterwards he had said: "It has to be our secret. They probably wouldn't believe you in any case."
Years later, the victim, now 48 and battling depression confided in his sister who called police. O'Leary, of Oakland Avenue in Droitwich, had accepted the teenager had visited his home on a few occasions but denied acting inappropriately towards him.
After a day of deliberating, the jury of seven men and five women found O'Leary guilty of four charges of indecently assaulting the boy and a charge of attempted buggery.
Detective Inspector Andy Price, the senior investigating officer, welcomed the verdict and said: "This man was in a position of trust which he exploited to befriend a young boy on the pretext of helping him. Instead, he subjected him to a prolonged series of sexual assaults.
"This was a young adolescent lad who was extremely vulnerable. He was a sexual predator."
As well as working as the assistant director of children's services in Wolverhampton, O'Leary was also the assistant director of community care and commissioning and chief officer for older people and transformation. He retired in 2011.
Sarah Norman, Wolverhampton City Council's strategic director for community, said: "This is a distressing case and our thoughts are with the victim and their family. All relevant employment checks were undertaken at the time of Mr O'Leary's appointment."
Council bosses said no concerns had been raised during his employment at the authority.
