Huckle 'took children to church' – Re��ident��
KUALA LUMPUR: Confessed British child sex-abuser Richard Huckle took Malaysian children with him to church and regularly roamed an impoverished Kuala Lumpur neighbourhood to snap pictures of kids, those who met him said yesterday.
But several people interviewed by AFP said they had seen no reason to suspect Huckle of the sickening pattern of child sex abuse that could see him locked up for life.
Huckle, 30, is to be sentenced on Mondy by a London court on 91 charges including the rape or sexual assault of children as young as six months, committed during his several years living in Malaysia.
“I've seen him and met some of the children he brought to the church,” said Paul Packianathan, senior pastor of a Protestant church located in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.
But Packianathan said Huckle's church visits were infrequent and aroused “no suspicions.” He condemned Huckle's actions as “despicable”.
Huckle was frequently seen in a predominantly Hindu neighbourhood from roughly 2012 to 2014, area residents said.
He claimed variously to be a student, a photographer or an English teacher, and was known to offer English lessons to children.
“He behaved like a professional photographer. When we saw his picture in the newspaper we were shocked. We cannot believe he did such a thing,” said K. Sumathi, 45, who sells flower garlands at the local Hindu temple.
Huckle was only caught after an investigation by British authorities who monitored his online activities, which included prolifically uploading indecent images to paedophilia forums.
Huckle was arrested in December 2014 when he returned to Britain to spend Christmas. He has pleaded guilty to 71 counts of child sex offences.
Malaysian police have said they never received any reports about Huckle's abuses and were only informed of the case by their UK counterparts in April.
Police yesterday announced for the first time that they had launched their own investigations.
“We have begun investigations. We will look into the places that he went to, the people that he met,” Datuk Law Hong Soon, deputy chief of criminal investigation in the Royal Malaysian Police, told reporters.
Police officials say they have been pressing Britain for details in the case, partly so that they can find Huckle's dozens of victims and arrange aid and counselling.
J. Shan, a 27-year- old golf instructor who lives in the neighbourhood Huckle frequented, said he believes the Briton resided in the area at least two years, often seen toting his camera bag.
“His movements were very mysterious. He would appear some days and then disappear for some time,” Shan said. “But I never liked him. To me he looked mentally disoriented. Sometimes he talked to himself.” – AFP