Jailed paedophile: Norman Shepherd lived a double life . A mother turned detective to catch the ‘monster’ who abused her son by covertly recording him admitting his vile crimes. She confronted retired dentist Norman Shepherd, a trusted family friend, after her son, now in his 20s, broke down and told her he was sexually assaulted hundreds of times between the ages of five and 12. During the conversation Shepherd, 78, a former churchwarden, admitted the crime – but when the mother tells him she plans to go to the police, he replies: ‘Alright. It’s going to be his word against mine.’ Unbeknown to him the entire exchange was being recorded by the mother, against the advice of police who had told her not to go near him. Shepherd was later jailed for 15 years and four months after she helped uncover the perverted double life of the supposed pillar of society. Yesterday the mother, from an affluent area of the Home Counties, said: ‘I had a total determination that the monster will go to prison.’ She said that when her son – who she described as ‘an inspiration who is making a success of his life’ – first told her of the abuse ‘it felt like my heart had been ripped out’. On the day her son broke down in September last year she rang Shepherd and asked him to explain himself, recording the conversation on a mobile phone. Throughout the exchange, which has been heard by the Mail, married Shepherd’s tone remains matter of fact as he tries to play things down. After he says: ‘I’m not denying we were very close…’, the mother insists on a face to face meeting with him the next day at his Grade-II listed home in the village of Poling, West Sussex. THE PHONE CALL . MOTHER: I’ve just been talking to my son and he’s broken down... He’s told me the things you used to do to him as a little boy, and what you did was absolutely unforgivable and I want to know your comments. SHEPHERD: I don’t know… . MOTHER: What do you mean you don’t know? I’m going to be contacting the police… So you better think about what you did over all those years. It was… when [my husband] used to bring him down to your house and he was tucked up in bed at night you used to go into his bedroom… . SHEPHERD: No, he used to come into bed with me… . MOTHER: He used to come into bed with you, did he? SHEPHERD: I’m sorry. MOTHER: Ok, well you will be sorry… because you are not going to get away with this. My son was the most beautiful, beautiful, innocent child… and you abused him over all those years, and now you are going to try and deny it. SHEPHERD: Wait a minute, what brought it on? MOTHER: He’s carried this burden for all these years… he bottled everything up. And I tell you now, he has broken down… . SHEPHERD: I’m sorry. MOTHER: Is that all you’ve got to say? Are you going to deny it? SON: It’s affected me quite a bit. SHEPHERD: I’m not denying we were very close… . SON: Very close? What do you mean? You used to come to my bedroom. (They arrange to meet the next day at 11am at Shepherd’s house). THE MEETING . MOTHER (voice trembling with emotion): Have you abused any other children? This went on for years, every time he came down with [his father], you used to wake [my son] up in the middle of the night and sexually abuse him. SHEPHERD: No… . MOTHER: Yes you did. SHEPHERD: No, no… I love him too much actually. MOTHER: What did you do to him? Spell out exactly what you did. SHEPHERD: I’m not saying I’m not guilty, I’m guilty of being too friendly to him. MOTHER: [My husband] came down here, to do work for you, and all the time you were abusing his son, his most precious possession. He idolised our son, if he knew you laid a finger on his head he would… . SHEPHERD: I never forced him to do anything… . MOTHER: He was a child! He was a boy, an innocent… He was the quietest child, he would never say boo to a goose. All his teenage life he’s been quiet and humble, and he’s had the abuse you caused him locked in his body. You don’t know the damage you’ve done to this boy… you are not going to get away with this. SHEPHERD (to her son): I’m sorry. I just hope that sometime you can forgive me. MOTHER: The police are going to be involved. SHEPHERD: Alright. It’s going to be his word against mine. These are edited versions of both transcripts. Following a sleepless night, she told police what had happened and that she was going to see Shepherd. She said: ‘They told me under no circumstance to go near him. I ignored them – but thank goodness I did. I recorded the whole meeting and he admitted it.’ She and her son, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, went to Shepherd’s house together. Victim: The boy pictured in the 1990s . She used the same mobile phone to secretly record the conversation as she challenged him over why he abused her son. The attacks happened while her son stayed overnight at Shepherd’s home with his father, who had counted Shepherd as a friend and was helping him with some work, and at social gatherings. Shepherd, whose wife was present at the meeting and did not know he is a paedophile, sickeningly claimed to ‘love’ the boy. He then tried to excuse his attacks by claiming he was himself abused by his biology master at school. Shepherd was arrested and later admitted abusing three other young boys. Eventually he pleaded guilty to 27 counts in total against his four victims, including 12 of indecent assault and two of attempted rape on the boy whose mother confronted him. Sentencing Shepherd at Chichester Crown Court on May 9, Judge Christopher Parker QC told him that behind a ‘sham facade’ he had spent 17 years between 1993 and 2010 grooming, gaining the confidence of and sexually abusing his victims ‘out of deviant lust’. Shepherd must serve nine years in prison before becoming eligible for release. Yesterday Sussex Police confirmed that material recorded by the mother formed part of the case against Shepherd. A force spokesman said: ‘However, this was not presented in court as evidence as the case did not go to trial as Shepherd pleaded guilty.’
Norman Shepherd sexually abused boy hundreds of times over seven years .
The victim, now in his 20s, finally told mother of horror he suffered last year .
She said after hearing revelation ‘it felt like my heart had been ripped out'
They went to paedophile's house and secretly recorded him admitting crimes .
Shepherd, who also abused three other boys, was a trusted family friend .
Jailed paedophile: Norman Shepherd lived a double life . A mother turned detective to catch the ‘monster’ who abused her son by covertly recording him admitting his vile crimes. She confronted retired dentist Norman Shepherd, a trusted family friend, after her son, now in his 20s, broke down and told her he was sexually assaulted hundreds of times between the ages of five and 12. During the conversation Shepherd, 78, a former churchwarden, admitted the crime – but when the mother tells him she plans to go to the police, he replies: ‘Alright. It’s going to be his word against mine.’ Unbeknown to him the entire exchange was being recorded by the mother, against the advice of police who had told her not to go near him. Shepherd was later jailed for 15 years and four months after she helped uncover the perverted double life of the supposed pillar of society. Yesterday the mother, from an affluent area of the Home Counties, said: ‘I had a total determination that the monster will go to prison.’ She said that when her son – who she described as ‘an inspiration who is making a success of his life’ – first told her of the abuse ‘it felt like my heart had been ripped out’. On the day her son broke down in September last year she rang Shepherd and asked him to explain himself, recording the conversation on a mobile phone. Throughout the exchange, which has been heard by the Mail, married Shepherd’s tone remains matter of fact as he tries to play things down. After he says: ‘I’m not denying we were very close…’, the mother insists on a face to face meeting with him the next day at his Grade-II listed home in the village of Poling, West Sussex. THE PHONE CALL . MOTHER: I’ve just been talking to my son and he’s broken down... He’s told me the things you used to do to him as a little boy, and what you did was absolutely unforgivable and I want to know your comments. SHEPHERD: I don’t know… . MOTHER: What do you mean you don’t know? I’m going to be contacting the police… So you better think about what you did over all those years. It was… when [my husband] used to bring him down to your house and he was tucked up in bed at night you used to go into his bedroom… . SHEPHERD: No, he used to come into bed with me… . MOTHER: He used to come into bed with you, did he? SHEPHERD: I’m sorry. MOTHER: Ok, well you will be sorry… because you are not going to get away with this. My son was the most beautiful, beautiful, innocent child… and you abused him over all those years, and now you are going to try and deny it. SHEPHERD: Wait a minute, what brought it on? MOTHER: He’s carried this burden for all these years… he bottled everything up. And I tell you now, he has broken down… . SHEPHERD: I’m sorry. MOTHER: Is that all you’ve got to say? Are you going to deny it? SON: It’s affected me quite a bit. SHEPHERD: I’m not denying we were very close… . SON: Very close? What do you mean? You used to come to my bedroom. (They arrange to meet the next day at 11am at Shepherd’s house). THE MEETING . MOTHER (voice trembling with emotion): Have you abused any other children? This went on for years, every time he came down with [his father], you used to wake [my son] up in the middle of the night and sexually abuse him. SHEPHERD: No… . MOTHER: Yes you did. SHEPHERD: No, no… I love him too much actually. MOTHER: What did you do to him? Spell out exactly what you did. SHEPHERD: I’m not saying I’m not guilty, I’m guilty of being too friendly to him. MOTHER: [My husband] came down here, to do work for you, and all the time you were abusing his son, his most precious possession. He idolised our son, if he knew you laid a finger on his head he would… . SHEPHERD: I never forced him to do anything… . MOTHER: He was a child! He was a boy, an innocent… He was the quietest child, he would never say boo to a goose. All his teenage life he’s been quiet and humble, and he’s had the abuse you caused him locked in his body. You don’t know the damage you’ve done to this boy… you are not going to get away with this. SHEPHERD (to her son): I’m sorry. I just hope that sometime you can forgive me. MOTHER: The police are going to be involved. SHEPHERD: Alright. It’s going to be his word against mine. These are edited versions of both transcripts. Following a sleepless night, she told police what had happened and that she was going to see Shepherd. She said: ‘They told me under no circumstance to go near him. I ignored them – but thank goodness I did. I recorded the whole meeting and he admitted it.’ She and her son, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, went to Shepherd’s house together. Victim: The boy pictured in the 1990s . She used the same mobile phone to secretly record the conversation as she challenged him over why he abused her son. The attacks happened while her son stayed overnight at Shepherd’s home with his father, who had counted Shepherd as a friend and was helping him with some work, and at social gatherings. Shepherd, whose wife was present at the meeting and did not know he is a paedophile, sickeningly claimed to ‘love’ the boy. He then tried to excuse his attacks by claiming he was himself abused by his biology master at school. Shepherd was arrested and later admitted abusing three other young boys. Eventually he pleaded guilty to 27 counts in total against his four victims, including 12 of indecent assault and two of attempted rape on the boy whose mother confronted him. Sentencing Shepherd at Chichester Crown Court on May 9, Judge Christopher Parker QC told him that behind a ‘sham facade’ he had spent 17 years between 1993 and 2010 grooming, gaining the confidence of and sexually abusing his victims ‘out of deviant lust’. Shepherd must serve nine years in prison before becoming eligible for release. Yesterday Sussex Police confirmed that material recorded by the mother formed part of the case against Shepherd. A force spokesman said: ‘However, this was not presented in court as evidence as the case did not go to trial as Shepherd pleaded guilty.’
recording him admitting his vile crimes. She confronted retired dentist Norman Shepherd, a trusted family friend, after her son, now in his 20s, broke down and told her he was sexually assaulted hundreds of times between the ages of prison.’ She said that when her son – who she abuse ‘it felt like my heart had been ripped last year she rang Shepherd and asked him to went to Shepherd’s house together. Victim: The