‘Peter Pan nanny’ who sexually abused boys as young as six jailed for 12 years

Predatory paedophile advertised services to unsuspecting parents online claiming to be ‘nurturing, reassuring and supportive’

An undated photo of Alexander Philo-Steele, 36, who called himself the 'Peter Pan nanny' (PA)

A man who convinced parents to employ him as a childminder so he could abuse their children has been jailed for 12 years.

Alexander Philo-Steele was found guilty of abusing two brothers, aged six and seven, and another six-year-old boy.

His offending was spread across a period of 16 years, with the first six-year-old falling victim to his abuse in 2003 and the brothers in 2017.

The 36-year-old, from Earls Court in London, had advertised his services to unsuspecting parents online claiming he was "nurturing, reassuring and supportive".

In 2017 he befriended a single mother of two boys, aged six and seven at the time, gaining her trust by telling her he had been studying for a master's degree in childhood anthropology at Brunel University in north-west London.

Philo-Steele then groomed and sexually assaulted her children after meeting the family in September 2017, while on bail for attacking a seven-year-old. He was later acquitted of the latter charge.

But he was found guilty of abusing both of the woman's sons, as well as another six-year-old boy in 2003, following a seven-week trial at Kingston Crown Court that closed on May 9 this year.

The court heard that in 2003, Philo-Steele befriended the six-year-old boy at a family friend’s birthday party, taking him back to his flat and sexually abusing him.

He was found guilty of nine counts of sexual assault of a child aged under 13 and two counts of assault of a child aged under 13 by penetration.

On Thursday, Philo-Steele appeared in court again and was jailed for 12 years, with an extra two years on extended licence.

Senior CPS prosecutor Kunal Dave said: "Alexander Philo-Steele held a sexual interest in young boys and acted upon his desires over a number of years.

"He preyed upon a single mother, gaining her trust by calling himself the 'Peter Pan nanny' and aimed to sell himself as 'attentive' and 'nurturing' to prospective employers.

"Philo-Steele carried out a calculated campaign where he groomed and manipulated these young boys in order to fulfil his sexual appetite.

"He denied carrying out the sexual assaults, and subjected his young victims and their families to a trial where they were made to give evidence and relive their abuse.

"A sexual predator has now been taken off the streets where he can no longer harm young children. I hope this prosecution provides some comfort to the victims and their families."

Scotland Yard's Detective Constable Rachel Davison called for any other potential victims to come forward.

"We hope the result encourages anyone else who may have been a victim of Philo-Steele to come forward and speak to us. They will be treated with sensitivity and in absolute confidence," she said.

"I hope that the sentence today will bring some form of closure to the victims and their families.

"I would like to give special credit to the children's mothers in this case, who testified in court and demonstrated great bravery throughout. Their evidence has ensured that this man will not be able to harm children for a long time.

"The jury who carefully considered the case clearly saw through Philo-Steele's lies. He showed no remorse throughout this trial and in fact blamed the parents and authorities for influencing the children."

Additional reporting by the Press Association