CLIVE NIBLETT SENTENCED IN WOKING FOR DECADES-OLD CHILD SEX OFFENCES

A man identified as Clive Peter Niblett has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after a court found him guilty of multiple historical sexual offences committed against children. The crimes took place nearly five decades ago and involved vulnerable young victims at two different children’s institutions in the Woking area.

Clive Niblett, who is now 73 years old (born on 14 May 1950), received his sentence at Guildford Crown Court on Friday, 17 January. The court convicted him on 13 counts, which included two charges of indecency with a child, nine counts of indecent assault, one count of buggery, and one count of attempted buggery. These offences involved five victims, aged between 10 and 15 at the time of the abuse.

The offending behavior was carried out during Niblett’s employment at Palmerston House children’s home in Romsey, Hampshire, during the mid-1970s, and later at the Burbank Children’s School in Woking, where he served as the live-in manager in the late 1970s. The abuse was uncovered after Niblett pleaded guilty in 2016 to sexual offences against two young boys—one while he was working at Burbank and the other at Palmerston House. For these crimes, he was initially sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for six offences, including indecent assault on a male under 14, buggery, and attempted buggery, committed between 29 April 1975 and 30 April 1976.

The investigation into Niblett’s past crimes was further fueled by compensation claims made by the initial victims. These claims prompted additional victims to come forward, leading authorities to examine allegations from five individuals who had been at Burbank and Palmerston House between 1975 and 1983. The victims ranged in age from nine or ten to fifteen years old at the time of the abuse.

Details of the offences reveal that Niblett would often lure young victims with gifts such as drinks, sweets, and cigarettes before subjecting them to sexual abuse. One victim, who was between nine and ten years old, described how the trauma from the abuse has haunted him for over 40 years. In his victim impact statement, he expressed the ongoing pain, nightmares, and sleepless nights that continue to affect him, emphasizing that the defendant’s lack of remorse has left a lasting scar. He stated, “The nightmares, the sleepless nights—each a vivid reliving of the abuse—have been a torturous reminder of the horrors I endured. The defendant, whose heart harbours no remorse, continues to haunt my days and nights. I could never explain the impact of 40 years of my pain, anger and hurt for everyone to understand but that is the true reality of my feelings impacted by his actions.”

Acting Detective Inspector Ross Linaker from Surrey Police’s Complex Abuse Unit, which led the investigation, commented on the case. He highlighted how Niblett targeted young boys, grooming them with gifts and exploiting their vulnerabilities to carry out his abuse. Inspector Linaker expressed hope that the conviction would bring some measure of peace to the victims, stating, “Niblett targeted young boys, grooming them by giving them gifts and preying on their vulnerabilities by making them feel they had no choice but to comply with the things he inflicted upon them. His offending has deeply affected them all and I hope that the fact he has finally been brought to justice will bring them some peace.

We would urge anyone who believes they have been the victim of sexual abuse, no matter how long ago it happened, to come forward and report it. You will be listened to, and you will be supported.”