Child abuser gave talks to children on how to keep themselves safe from criminals... at Northampton schools

Nicholas Taylor was found guilty of 84 sex offences against children yesterday following one of the largest investigations of its kind ever carried out by Northamptonshire Police.

The, 43-year-old, of Pitstone Road, Briar Hill, got children hooked on crack cocaine before making them carry out horrific sex acts on him and his wife Joan, over a period of 10 years.

But an astonishing interview from 2006 - given to a Chron reporter before his abuse of children was uncovered - has revealed how the paedophile managed to dupe the authorities into believing he had got back on the straight and narrow following a life in a and out of prison as a drug dealer.

Taylor revealed he had become a speaker on a lecture circuit that brought him into contact with schools in the county as well as the HMP Wellingborough Young Community project, which aimed to prevent youngsters turning to crime.

The Chron spoke to Taylor as he gave a talk to the county's Neighbourhood Watch in 2006 about crime prevention.

At one point the brazen criminal went on to tell an audience how to avoid being robbed on Northampton Racecourse.

"There are always robberies at the Racecourse in Northampton, because people would rather cut across than stay on the main road," he said.

"But if you feel vulnerable, walk on the side of the street opposite to the Racecourse and try to walk behind someone, even if you don't know them.

"Anyone would rather rob one person than two. Keep your money in your front pocket and your wallet in the back. If someone pulls a knife out and says, 'Give me your wallet!', you can then give it to him and they will run off, but they won't have anything else."

That talk to Neighbourhood Watch in 2006 was part of a Northamptonshire Police initiative to help people keep themselves, vehicles and possessions secure.

He admitted, that up to that point, he had spent between £50,000 and £60,000 on drugs.but claimed to be free of a £500-a-day crack cocaine habit. This turned out to be one of a series of lies as the trial heard that police testing just weeks after the talk revealed traces of the class A drug in his hair.

The court heard how the then 37-year-old would make his wife Joan act as a lookout for him while he took the drug, so as not to damage his overhauled reputation.

During he interview with the Chron in 2006, Taylor gave a glimpse into how he began his life of crime.

He said: "It started off as solvent abuse, when I was aged between 11 and 13, and then it progressed to cannabis and then to speed, pills, coke and crack cocaine.

"Cannabis affected my school work and I got chucked out of secondary school at age 11 for hitting a teacher. I was suspended, then I went back and hit the same teacher again."

At age 14 and 15 he started burgling businesses and afterwards spent time in prison.

"I went in for a commercial burglary and learned about credit card fraud," he said. "You are banged up with different cons and I learned more stuff about street robberies and card theft and how to obtain information about people without them even knowing."

Taylor is due to be sentenced at a date to be decided.

Anyone with concerns as a result of this trial can contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 111 555.

The interview Taylor gave in 2006 is at this link.