David Pickthall who abused boys in Upminster and Brentwood is jailed

David Pickthall, who worked as a choirmaster in Havering and a music teacher in Brentwood, was given a 12-year prison sentence on Monday (November 11). 

The 66-year-old was investigated in relation to offences against 19 people, the majority of whom were underage boys, in Brentwood and Upminster between 1980 and 2021. 

He was awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to education and to charity.    

Pickthall admitted 16 counts of indecent assault, ten counts of voyeurism and three counts of making an indecent image of a child. 

Det Con Chelsie Stamford, who led the investigation, said: “The scale of David Pickthall’s offending – both in terms of the number of people he targeted and the four decades in which it took place – is horrifying.” 

Survivors said when they stayed at his home he would show them pornographic material, while also taking advantage of situations where he was alone with them to assault them. 

In the months before his arrest in 2021 he had been sending sexual messages to a 15-year-old boy on Telegram. 

He was also pretending to be someone else on social media to obtain indecent images of children. 

When officers searched Pickthall’s devices they also found videos and images of men and boys taken without their knowledge while they were at his home. 

But Essex Police believe there might be other victims of Pickthall’s who they do not yet know about. 

Det Con Stamford said: “Sadly, I do not believe Pickthall’s offending is limited to the 19 men involved in this investigation. 

“I strongly suspect there are other people who will have been targeted and abused by him who we’ve not been able to identify. 

“My message to you is please come and talk to us. You will be listened to, and we will investigate." 

At Chelmsford Crown Court, Pickthall was given a 12 year sentence with a further four on extended licence. 

'My childhood memories are polluted'

One of Pickthall’s survivors, using the pseudonym Mark, said the teacher groomed him at a time when he was isolated and struggling to make friends. 

He said: “He told me that no-one would find me attractive so I should be grateful, and that has stayed with me through my life. 

“As a result I really struggled with low self-esteem and had a negative view of myself. I was diagnosed with depression at university and have needed psychiatric care at different points as an adult. 

“And what Pickthall did has impacted other relationships I’ve had.

"Because I was left feeling I had no self-worth, I was really socially awkward growing up and it meant I didn’t have the life experience other teenage boys did at the time. 

“So when as an adult someone showed interest in me, and because I was naïve and lacking self-worth because of the impact of what Pickthall had done, I jumped into a relationship which ended up being really abusive. And that also did a lot of damage.” 

Mark said he went to the police after he became a dad and felt he needed to protect his child. 

He thanked Essex Police for their support during the investigation. 

Another of Pickthall’s survivors, using the name Edward, said: “In my formative years I struggled to fit in, and music was the thing I was good at. It should have been my safe space. It shouldn’t have been an invite to take advantage of. 

“And I now wonder, was I actually that good at music? Or just someone vulnerable enough to prey upon.” 

He was contacted by Essex Police having purposefully forgotten about the abuse for years. 

At first he said he did not want to be involved, but it later dawned on him that he had a moral duty to report what happened. 

He said: “If anyone else had been affected, know that it’s confidential and you’re not alone. 

“Report it to the police. I’ve found everyone I’ve dealt with exceptionally professional, really kind, and really understanding of all the sensitivities.

“I also want to say thank you to the first person who came forward. Because of them I have been able to confront this trauma now rather than it bubbling up and causing mental health issues at an unexpected time or situation. 

“I can also take comfort in the fact that myself and the other 18 people involved in this investigation have probably saved other people from being abused by him. The only safe place is for him to behind bars.” 

Other survivors expressed similar sentiments. 

“There will always be a fear to trust people,” one man said.

“My childhood memories of exceptional experiences are now polluted by the recognition that it was part of the deception he used in order to cover the abuse,” another man said. 

Det Con Stamford praised "the courage" of all those involved in the investigation for coming forward and telling police what happened.