A PAEDOPHILE is facing groundbreaking legal action in Britain by the families of three children he sexually abused in the Philippines.
Douglas Slade – a member of the notorious Paedophile Information Exchange – is serving 24 years behind bars for abusing five young boys in the UK.
Now they are planning to sue him for damages in the UK with the aid of a child protection group, thought to be one of the first cases of its kind.
The pervert – once dubbed “the vilest man in Britain” after he campaigned for legal sex with children – was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court last week after dodging justice for 35 years.
He was convicted of 13 child abuse offences that took place between 1965-1980.
But the 75-year-old had been living in the Philippines where he also stood accused of abusing multiple child victims before being extradited to the UK to face trial.
Families allege their children had been abused after being paid to pose for naked photos by Slade who was arrested after indecent images were found on his laptop.
Representatives from child welfare group Preda Foundation are now trying to trace Slade’s assets in the UK and the Philippines.
Father Shay Cullen a Catholic priest in the Asian archipelago who founded the group and is planning the legal action said last night: “We are happy at the conviction and the sentence of Douglas Slade.
“We at the Preda Foundation now intend to pursue a civil case for monetary damages against Slade for the damage he has done to the young lives of children we have helped, who have had their lives ruined and still suffer from the long lasting effects of his paedophilia.
He added: “Our social workers tried for many years to have him convicted in the Philippines but he was always able to pay bribes and get away with it.
“Now we are in contact with lawyers in the UK who have offered to take a civil case against Slade on our behalf and we are awaiting more details but we will be looking to make a claim against his property and assets.
“One way or the other we will pursue justice against Slade on behalf of his child victims.
“We commend the British police in taking action against him and finally bringing him to justice.
“Taking a civil court action in the UK to get justice for the child victims sends a strong message to the sex tourists who have returned to the UK.”
Ex-navy chef Douglas Slade was arrested last year after a painstaking investigation by Avon and Somerset police.
Slade, originally from Aylesbury, Bucks, moved to the Philippines in the 1990s and was arrested twice on suspicion of abusing kids but he was never charged.
Slade was first arrested in the Philippines on suspicion of molesting boys as young as 11 in 1995.
He was dubbed the Pork Pie Paedophile because he had set up a firm selling Western food to expats.
He said the charges were “trumped up” and claimed he was merely letting deprived kids use his pool.
He was then arrested again in 2006 over similar claims.
But according to Father Cullen, neither case led to a prosecution.
He was then arrested a third time in 2014 after he took his laptop in for repair and a technician discovered indecent images on it.
Police later raided his home in the red-light district of Angeles City.
Cops claim Slade – who has cooked for the Queen – lured poverty-stricken kids with offers of food or by paying them between £2 and £3.50 to pose for lurid pictures and molest them.
Three of the victims were boys who were all under 12 and one of them was only nine.
Now their families hope to finally get justice.
Father Shay added: “Slade was a long time resident of the Philippines where he was a fugitive from the law.
“Preda rescued several boy victims from the clutches of Slade who allegedly sexual abused them in his swimming pool and in his house and made pornographic images of them.
“We must protect children everywhere and pursue justice even against the odds and when all feels hopeless.”
Slade was first publicly shamed for his evil appetites in 1975 when we revealed he was one of three ringleaders of the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) which campaigned to legalise child-sex.
The group was backed by the National Council for Civil Liberties, led by Patricia Hewitt – later a Cabinet minister under Tony Blair.
A damning report later sparked a national outcry against PIE – and forced the organisation to disband.
Now police are appealing for anymore victims of Slade to come forward after his conviction.
