THE FORMER boss of an Oxfordshire children’s home was yesterday jailed for 12-and-a-half years for sexually abusing boys during the 1970s and 1980s.

Rodney Smallman, of Erica Close, Banbury, was unanimously found guilty of 15 counts of indecent assault on male children in December at Oxford Crown Court.

The 72-year-old showed no emotion as Judge Zoe Smith announced his sentence yesterday, telling him: “One can see the terrible impact your behaviour had.”

The assaults took place between February 1976 and March 1983.

Smallman’s barrister Jennifer Edwards said yesterday that her client still denies the offences.

Prosecutor Giles Curtis-Raleigh said one victim had “lived in a silent hell for 30 years” because after the abuse he felt “ashamed and dirty”.

Smallman, who has another conviction for abusing boys in 1985, was also made subject to a sexual offences prevention order banning unsupervised contact with boys indefinitely.

Judge Zoe Smith said Smallman groomed and abused boys as young as 10, sometimes in “sadistic” ways with the excuse he was punishing them.

She said the pensioner threatened and bullied victims into silence, telling one: “I can do what I want.”

Judge Smith told Smallman: “Each of these boys had to give evidence in your trial and give descriptions of what had occurred in the past.

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“Their distress at having to relive and recount their experiences was obvious.”

Speaking outside court, one of Smallman’s victims said that although he hoped the sentence would give him closure, it was not enough.

Smallman was convicted of all three counts relating to the victim, relating to indecent assault on a male between July 1979 and July 1982.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said: “He should’ve got longer.

“He should’ve got life. I’ve lost my life, he should’ve lost his.

“The guy’s an animal.”

Speaking of his abuse, the victim, from South Oxfordshire, said: “It ruined my life. It turned me against authority.

He said he spent about seven years in prison, adding: “I was in all sorts of trouble, stealing cars, fighting, just having total disrespect for the police and any authority.

“They were meant to protect me and they didn’t protect me.”

But the father-of-four added: “I feel better about the future, that part of my life can be put away. It will always affect me but not so badly.”

Speaking of the victims, Det Con Joanne Waddington, of Thames Valley Police said: “They have to continue living with what Smallman did every day, but thanks to their courage he now faces a long time behind bars.

“I want to once again thank the victims for their bravery in not only telling police what had happened to them, but supporting the case through court and having the courage to give evidence.”

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