A former teacher has today (Wed 1 Feb) admitted carrying out a catalogue of sexual abuse against young boys in Thailand and the UK.
Mark Frost, 70, who was previously known as Andrew Tracey, admitted 23 new charges at the Old Bailey, in addition to 22 charges he had already admitted last year.
The majority of the offences admitted by Frost, who is a British national, related to abuse carried out in Thailand between 2009 and 2012. The offending, including multiple sexual assaults, took place against boys aged between 10 and 15.
Two charges related to the abuse of boys in the UK aged between approximately 10 and 13.
A laptop and other digital devices found at Frost’s home address in Spain was found to contain more than 1,000 indecent images of children.
Frost was initially arrested by the Royal Thai Police in February and May 2013 but later that year failed to answer bail and left the country. He changed his name from Andrew John Tracey to Mark Frost in January 2014.
In November 2015 authorities identified that Frost was living in Alicante, Spain, and after more evidence was gathered against him, the Crown Prosecution Service assisted in making arrangements for a European Arrest Warrant to be issued in March 2016.
Frost was extradited to the UK on 28 April 2016 and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court the following day charged with the original 22 Thai offences. He ultimately pleaded guilty to all the charges against him and entered 23 further guilty pleas today.
Ruona Iguyovwe, Senior Specialist Prosecutor in the CPS International Justice and Organised Crime Division, said:
“The harrowing evidence presented by the prosecution in this case outlined the suffering that Mark Frost caused to his victims. Over many years, Frost repeatedly exploited vulnerable young victims, both in the UK and in Thailand, for his own sexual gratification.
“He systematically targeted and groomed children from a poor community having sought to attract and lure them to his house through apparent generosity. He also photographed and filmed his own abuse of the children and shared it online.
“His offending has caused severe psychological harm to all of the children he abused many of whom are now old enough to realise the enormity of what happened to them.
“The CPS worked with investigators from a very early stage in order to build a strong case to secure these convictions, including travelling to Thailand to offer on-the-spot advice as victims were interviewed for the first time.
“International borders are not a barrier to justice and this prosecution was made possible through detailed partnership working between the CPS, the National Crime Agency and prosecutors in both Europe and Thailand.”
Frost will be sentenced in due course.
Ends
Notes to Editors
· Anybody who thinks they may have been a victim of Mark Frost / Andrew Tracey should call a dedicated NSPCC helpline number – 0800 328 0904.
The full list of charges admitted by Frost is as follows:
Charges admitted in 2016
· Rape x1
· Sexual assault x1
· Sexual assault of child under 13 x6
· Causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity x7
· Causing or inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity x5
· Taking indecent images of a child x1
· Distributing indecent images of children x1
Charges admitted at the Old Bailey on 1 February 2017
· Rape of a child under 13 x2
· Causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity x2
· Causing or inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity x2
· Sexual assault of a child under 13 x4
· Penetrative sexual activity with a child under 16 x5
· Sexual activity with a child under 16 x1
· Buggery x6 (UK offending)
· Making indecent photographs of children x1
Detail relating to the charge of Making indecent photographs of children:
1,105 still images recovered: Category A – 197 Category B – 166 Category C – 742
6 moving images recovered: Category A – 4 Category B – 1 Category C – 1
