Scottish former police officer and Scout volunteer jailed for historic abuse of boys in Hertfordshire and Norfolk
81-year-old Derek Feast targeted victims as young as 12 between 1974 and 1991
An 81-year-old Scottish man has been jailed for 12 years in connection with multiple indecent assaults on teenage boys, across three decades, in Hertfordshire and Norfolk.
Derek Feast, of the Isle of Mull, was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court having been found guilty of offending against four victims between 1974 and 1991.
Feast was traced and interviewed by Hertfordshire investigators in July 2024.
He denied having any sexual contact with three of the boys and claimed he had been in a consensual sexual relationship with one victim.
The court heard he targeted three of his victims when he volunteered with the Scouts in Hertfordshire, where he also worked as a police officer during the 1970s and early 1980s, and a fourth victim when he worked in a newsagent’s shop in Norfolk in 1991.
One victim, who was aged 12 or 13 at the time, recalled being sexually assaulted on Scout trips, at Scout meetings and at Feast’s home address in Stevenage.
A second victim was aged 14 when he was sexually assaulted and a third victim was first sexually assaulted aged 15 on a trip and the abuse continued for several years.
A fourth victim was 14 when Feast assaulted him in Norfolk, when Feast was aged 46.
He reported the incident to police shortly afterwards and Feast was arrested but released with no further action in July 1991.
Feast was convicted of 17 counts of indecent assault and gross indecency on four victims on 17 February 2026 at St Albans Crown Court.
He must serve half of the 12 year the sentence before being considered for release on licence. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Detective Constable Beverley Thomson said: “Firstly, I would like to commend all four victims for their courage during the investigation and their incredible bravery in the face of a trial.
“Derek Feast denied any wrongdoing, but his evil acts have had lasting effects on his victims, but I do hope that seeing him sentenced will go some way in helping them to move on from his abhorrent crime.
“We know it can be incredibly challenging to come forward to report incidents of sexual assault. We take reports of sexual offences very seriously and we will do everything we can to ensure that victims feel like their voices are heard and that offenders are brought to justice.”
Detective Inspector Ben Smith added: “I would like to thank the team for their tireless work to bring Feast to justice. This case demonstrates that however long ago a crime was committed – even more than 40 years later – we will track you down and get justice for victims.
The fact that he was a Scout leader and, shockingly, a police officer at the time, makes his offending even more despicable and I hope any victim feels confident that they can report offences however long ago they were committed, and we will take them seriously and work tirelessly to bring them justice.”