Anthony Swanson, aged 75, of Wren Road, Sidcup, has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, 28 August 2026, after being convicted of a campaign of CSA and multiple rapes against a teenage girl.
The criminal investigation began in February 2022 when the victim came forward to report non-recent offences that occurred in the mid-2000s.
The court heard that Swanson was the founder of the Taoist Arts Organisation, established in 1995, and ran martial arts classes from a church hall in Beckenham.
Swanson used his trusted position as an instructor to groom the victim when she was in her early teens, before subjecting her to repeated sexual abuse over a period of approximately three years.
The predatory behaviour included an incident where Swanson raped the victim during an organised club residential martial arts trip to Bath, Somerset.
The court also heard that the victim was subjected to abuse in the presence of her mother.
The mother admitted three counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child and received a 16-month prison sentence suspended for two years at Woolwich Crown Court.
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police carried out an extensive investigation, conducting video-recorded interviews and compiling dozens of witness statements.
Swanson was interviewed twice under caution by detectives and denied all allegations of wrongdoing, claiming he had committed no offences.
Following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court, a jury convicted Swanson on 7 July 2026 of:
- Four counts of rape
- Four counts of indecent assault
- Three counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child
- One count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
- Three counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child
The presiding judge imposed a total custodial sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment on Swanson.
Following the conclusion of the case, the Metropolitan Police issued an appeal for further potential victims who attended Swanson’s classes in Beckenham and Sidcup, or residential trips to Inverness and the West Country, to contact officers on 101 quoting reference CAD 1652/26AUG26.
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