RAYMOND STARKY SHOCKS BROMSGROVE AND COTHERIDGE WITH SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDAL

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the communities of Bromsgrove and Cotheridge, Raymond Starkey, a social worker with ties to both locations, faced serious allegations of sexual misconduct involving minors. The events date back to the early 1980s, when Starkey was employed at Hunters Hill School in Bromsgrove, a residential institution for boys who had either run away or skipped school. Starkey, then 42 years old and residing on Church Lane in Cotheridge, Worcester, was accused of heinous acts committed against a 12-year-old boy during his tenure at the school.

According to the prosecution, Starkey served as a 'house father' at the school, overseeing the boy’s living arrangements after he was sent there in 1980. The allegations detailed a series of disturbing incidents, including Starkey humiliating the young resident by forcing him to strip and crawl on his hands and knees while squealing like a pig, an act that was described as a form of abuse and degradation. The victim, now 30 years old, testified in court that these incidents were not isolated, claiming that Starkey repeatedly subjected him to sexual assault on multiple occasions.

Starkey vehemently denied the charges, asserting that he had never engaged in any sexual misconduct or acts intended to humiliate the boy. The court was presented with conflicting accounts, and Judge Richard Cole instructed the jury to consider the evidence carefully. He emphasized that suspicion alone was insufficient for a conviction, stating, “Although there may be suspicion, we could not be satisfied so we are sure.”

Unbeknownst to the jury, Starkey was already serving a four-year prison sentence handed down at Birmingham Crown Court in December of the previous year. This sentence was related to separate charges of indecency with a boy at a different children’s home in Bromyard, where Starkey had been the officer in charge after leaving his position at Hunters Hill.

In addition to the allegations from Bromsgrove, Starkey faces further accusations from his time in Cotheridge. The victim, who recounted his ordeal in court, described a terrifying incident where Starkey allegedly pinned him down on his bed and raped him. The young man recounted how Starkey held a pillow over his face to suffocate him, then gave him sweets and warned him to obey in the future. The following night, Starkey allegedly entered the boy’s room, ordered the other boys out, and committed the assault again. The victim described feeling overwhelmed by fear, humiliation, and pain, bleeding extensively and fearing he would never recover from the trauma.

He further testified that these assaults occurred multiple times, approximately half a dozen or more, always in the same room, as Starkey reportedly preferred the comfort of familiar surroundings. Starkey’s actions, as described by the victim, paint a disturbing picture of abuse carried out under the guise of authority and trust, leaving a lasting scar on the young man’s life. The case continues to unfold as authorities and the community grapple with the implications of these serious allegations against a man who was entrusted with the care of vulnerable children in both Bromsgrove and Cotheridge.