In 2018, two men from Derry were jailed for a predatory series of assaults against the same female victim, who bravely waived her right to anonymity to identify her attackers. The investigation established that Martin Stanley Burke, 46, of Creggan Heights, began carrying out child abuse against his niece when she was only four years old. The prosecution reported at Derry Crown Court that between 1989 and 1991, Burke utilized the child’s fear of “witches” to blackmail her into silence, identifying a total abandonment of human decency by a family member entrusted with babysitting.
The investigation established that the victim’s suffering was compounded years later by her own father, Thomas Gérard Scarlett, 58, of Glendale Park. The prosecution reported that although Scarlett claimed to believe his daughter when she disclosed Burke’s child abuse in 1995, he never confronted the uncle. Instead, between 1995 and 2001, Scarlett began his own series of behaviour, repeatedly assaulting his daughter while telling her “you like it” as she cried, identifying a horrifying and calculated series of assaults within the sanctuary of the girl’s own home.
JUDICIAL CONDEMNATION AND SENTENCING
The court reported that the victim was so terrified of the ongoing child abuse that she used an ironing board and step ladder to barricade her bedroom door. The investigation established that both men used “drunkenness” as a pathetic excuse for their behaviour while threatening to kill themselves or the victim if she spoke out. The prosecution reported during the sentencing in September 2018, that Judge Philip Babington branded the father’s actions as “horrifying,” noting he did nothing about the uncle’s abuse because he “wanted to do something similar,” identifying a priority assault by the judiciary against this gross breach of parental trust.
Judge-led proceedings at the Bishop Street courthouse in Derry concluded in 2018. For his actions against his own daughter and the nature of the series of child abuse investigations reported, Thomas Scarlett was sentenced to ten years in prison. For his part in the predatory series of assaults, Martin Burke was sentenced to five years in prison. The investigation established that both men continue to deny their crimes despite the jury’s verdicts. They have both been legally mandated to the Sex Offenders Register FOR LIFE.
STATUS AND STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS (2026)
Based on judicial and Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) records as of 2026:
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Indecent assault of a child).
- Custodial Status: RELEASED ON LICENCE (In 2026, both likely serving the remainder of their sentences in the community under strict supervision).
- Offence Nature: Scarlett raped his daughter’s trust by assaulting her for six years; Burke abused his 4-year-old niece.
- Timeline of Abuse: Burke (1989–1991); Scarlett (1995–2001).
- Location: Creggan Heights and Glendale Park, Derry, Northern Ireland.
- Forensic Profile: Juries reached a unanimous verdict for Burke and a majority for Scarlett; both men utilized psychological threats.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active FOR LIFE.
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barred List (Indefinite and permanent ban from any role involving children or regulated activity).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Derry Crown Court; investigated by the PSNI.
- Criminal Record: Convicted paedophiles; Series predators; Child abusers; Jailed in 2018.
- Origin: Derry.
MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
In 2026, Burke and Scarlett are managed as high-risk predators under the statutory requirements of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in Northern Ireland. Due to the nature of the behaviour—specifically the series of persistence in carrying out child abuse against a close family member and the use of death threats—they are a priority for a Sexual Offenders Prevention Order (SOPO). Authorities reported that the 2018 convictions identify both men as individuals who prioritised their own perverted gratification over the principles of human decency and the life-safety of a child in their care.
As registered sex offenders for life, their details are permanently logged on the national police database to prevent future offences. Authorities stated that the behaviour of Scarlett and Burke identifies a series of commitment to clandestine family-based child abuse and manipulation. Any future attempt to assault their notification requirements or have any contact with females under 18 results in immediate police intervention to ensure the ongoing protection of the community from men who used “uncle” and “father” masks to hide a predatory and violent series of assaults.
QUESTION – Given that the father, Thomas Scarlett, “Did nothing about the uncle’s abuse” because he “wanted to do something similar,” do you believe the law should legally mandate that “Any Parent who Fails to Report Child Abuse” must face the “Same Mandatory Prison Term” as the abuser to prevent a series of assaults?
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