In 2019, Shane Upton, then aged 24, of no fixed address, was convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an eight-year-old boy following a trial held in his absence at Inner London Crown Court.
The conviction follows an emergency operation conducted by the Metropolitan Police Service on 17 June 2019 in Burgess Park, Camberwell, south east London.
The court heard that the eight-year-old child had been playing tennis with his mother before walking over to use the public toilets at a nearby park cafe.
Upton pounced on the child, entered the cubicle, and locked the door from the inside.
Prosecutor Adrian Amer outlined that Upton covered the victim’s mouth to prevent him from crying out and compelled him to engage in sexual activity.
Upton then escorted the child out through an emergency exit and walked him around the park grounds before leading him into an improvised den constructed from twigs, thorns, and foliage inside the bushes.
During the ordeal, Upton subjected the boy to psychological cruelty, telling him that his parents did not love him and claiming he would take him to a council building to be rehoused.
When the child did not return within 15 minutes, his mother raised the alarm with emergency services, triggering an immediate deployment of ground officers, police horses, and the National Police Air Service helicopter.
Responding officers located Upton inside the undergrowth while he was actively committing a sexual assault on the crying child.
Upon being approached, Upton fled across an open field, prompting a foot chase where officers tackled him to the ground and restrained him following a violent struggle.
Jurors viewed CCTV footage tracking the abduction alongside aerial thermal recordings capturing Upton’s pursuit and capture.
Upton was convicted by the jury of:
- Kidnap
- Committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence
- Two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
- Sexual assault of a child under 13
The defendant was acquitted of a separate count of sexual assault and two counts of assault on emergency workers.
The presiding judge, Judge Nigel Seed QC, remanded Upton in custody to await a formal sentencing hearing scheduled in the New Year, where statutory sex offender registration requirements and a custodial term will be handed down.
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