0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some strong language and scenes which some viewers may find disturbing.
0:00:06 > 0:00:07- VOICE RECORDING:- This is Richard.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Just to let you know I'm still remanded in prison.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11If you still want to keep in touch,
0:00:11 > 0:00:13then, just send me a letter some time.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19This is the story of how a teenage gap-year student
0:00:19 > 0:00:22became one of Britain's worst ever paedophiles.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36For nearly a decade, Richard Huckle raped, assaulted and abused
0:00:36 > 0:00:39hundreds of children in Asia.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42He was extremely dangerous. He was indiscriminate.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46Girls, boys, six months to 13 years of age.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51On the dark web, he wrote a manual for paedophiles,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55and shared tens of thousands of vile images of his crimes.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01I just thought of all the children, and it broke my heart
0:01:01 > 0:01:06that I had been a part of putting him in that position.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Posing as a Christian, he deliberately targeted
0:01:10 > 0:01:13the poorest and most vulnerable victims.
0:01:13 > 0:01:19I can say, without any doubt, that the church was his hunting ground.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I've spent eight months investigating
0:01:21 > 0:01:24how Huckle got away with it for so long,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27and whether he should have been caught earlier.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29I want to ask you why you didn't tell me
0:01:29 > 0:01:33- about your relationship with Richard Huckle?- OK.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35I've followed Huckle's trail
0:01:35 > 0:01:38to countries where no-one has investigated before,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41and uncovered undetected crimes.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44When I stood in front of those two little girls,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46it didn't feel good to be right.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49It didn't feel good at all.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55And I've discovered Huckle may also have abused children in Britain.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58He was absolutely prolific.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02I would be shocked if there were no victims of his in this country.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22In 2005, a 19-year-old from suburban Kent
0:02:22 > 0:02:25arrived at this jungle park in Malaysia.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31For Richard Huckle, it was the start of his gap year.
0:02:33 > 0:02:34Come on.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41This is just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46I mean, this is what gap-year travel is all about.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52It's such a privilege.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57And to think that they could come here and work on a daily basis
0:02:57 > 0:02:59is amazing.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Richard Huckle was part of a group of British students
0:03:04 > 0:03:06who'd come to do voluntary work.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10- Were they good workers? - Yeah, they were good.- Were they?
0:03:10 > 0:03:12They had to clean the elephant poo.
0:03:12 > 0:03:13It's not a pretty job!
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Yah!
0:03:16 > 0:03:19The students came here to decide if they wanted to volunteer
0:03:19 > 0:03:22in conservation projects like this one.
0:03:26 > 0:03:27But Richard Huckle wasn't interested
0:03:27 > 0:03:30in working with animals in the jungle.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36He knew the kind of voluntary work he wanted to do,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45- This is where you used to bring the gappers?- Yeah.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- So, did you bring Huckle here? - Yes, this is where Huckle came.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Ann Jones worked for World Challenge,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55the organisation in charge of arranging Huckle's gap year.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00I spent a lot of my time organising the placements
0:04:00 > 0:04:03where they were going to.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05He wanted to go to an orphanage,
0:04:05 > 0:04:10but the orphanage that we had selected was unable to take them.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14What was your first impression of Huckle?
0:04:14 > 0:04:17I didn't like him.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19There was just something about him that made
0:04:19 > 0:04:22the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end,
0:04:22 > 0:04:23and I couldn't put a finger on it.
0:04:23 > 0:04:30He always looked dishevelled, he always looked dirty,
0:04:30 > 0:04:35and he had just a really bad attitude.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39I actually felt he was going to be trouble from the beginning,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41and he was.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Ann placed Huckle and another student in a school.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52His job was to help teach English to young children.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56But, within weeks, Huckle was causing problems.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02He had a blog that he was posting incredibly disrespectful remarks
0:05:02 > 0:05:05about one of the other gap challengers.
0:05:05 > 0:05:12He was making very disparaging remarks about World Challenge,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16and he was none too kind about some of the locals either.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Ann found Huckle a new placement at a church.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Huckle had told everyone he was a committed Christian.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29It seemed like the perfect fit.
0:05:30 > 0:05:36They perceived him to be that little lost boy who needed to be nurtured
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and, hopefully, their nurturing would change him
0:05:39 > 0:05:43and give him the confidence to develop and grow.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06It's really tough to find out anything about Huckle.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10The police have had all his social media accounts pulled down,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13but I've discovered Huckle also kept a diary.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17And I've managed to get my hands on some of it.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22In the diary, Huckle writes about his travels around Asia
0:06:22 > 0:06:24and everyone he meets.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38In October 2005, Huckle started work as a Sunday school teacher
0:06:38 > 0:06:41at the church where he'd been placed.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44He immediately began writing disturbing comments
0:06:44 > 0:06:47about his new pupils in his diary.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09He went into this church,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11and I can say, without any doubt,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15that the church was his hunting ground.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Mahi was the first local journalist
0:07:17 > 0:07:20to investigate Huckle's time at this church.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26He used the church, because those who turned up there
0:07:26 > 0:07:27were very poor people.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30When you are poor, it feels good when you are seen around
0:07:30 > 0:07:32with a white guy.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34It's almost like an up to your social status,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38and that is exactly what Huckle capitalised on.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Huckle exploited his western status
0:07:42 > 0:07:45to groom one particular three-year-old girl
0:07:45 > 0:07:48who attended the church with her family.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50So, this is actually the report that you were involved in.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Mahi recorded an interview with this girl many years later.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Her identity was disguised to protect her.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01- RECORDING:- 'I met him in a church.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04'He started talking to my mother there.'
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- That's your voice. - Yeah, that's my voice.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10- RECORDING:- 'And then he started coming to the house to talk to her.'
0:08:16 > 0:08:18- RECORDING: - He started taking photos of me
0:08:18 > 0:08:20from the time I was three years old.
0:08:20 > 0:08:26He took videos of me naked. I was scared and couldn't do anything.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29He showed me photos of myself.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34They were photos that showed nude bodies, that kind of photos.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40This child was raped repeatedly by Huckle.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47Mahi says the girl told her family about Huckle's abuse.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49She told me that she had actually told her father about it.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51So her father knew?
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Her father knew about it.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Now, her father told her to just shut up.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59And her grandmother, when I confronted her,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02just could not give me a straight answer.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06So, this is a child who must have felt really betrayed.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17My first question when I came to this country is,
0:09:17 > 0:09:18could Huckle have been stopped?
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Well, I've just found out
0:09:20 > 0:09:22he definitely could have been stopped in his tracks,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25if someone had listened to that child.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33It's quite clear that that little child knew
0:09:33 > 0:09:35what Huckle was doing was wrong...
0:09:36 > 0:09:39..and so she told her family.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43And when they did nothing...
0:09:44 > 0:09:47..I just can't imagine how she must have felt.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Because where else would she go to for help,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55if it wasn't to her family?
0:10:05 > 0:10:09When Huckle realised he could groom children with impunity,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12he stayed in Malaysia beyond his gap year.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20He based himself in the capital,
0:10:20 > 0:10:22and gained access to children
0:10:22 > 0:10:28by working as an English teacher for schools, orphanages and families.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34Huckle raped and assaulted children of all ages,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36from babies to young teenagers.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40He was a predator, constantly on the hunt.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55One of Huckle's favourite hunting grounds was Port Dickson,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57just outside the capital.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02It's a perfect spot for families to get away from the city.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09We know Huckle came to this beach resort regularly.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11And, from his diary, we've learned that he had
0:11:11 > 0:11:13a very particular grooming strategy.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17He used to take photos of the kids that he met on the beach,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20and then he would offer them the prints of the photos
0:11:20 > 0:11:23to try and win their confidence and gain their trust.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Huckle gave free English tuition to these kids
0:11:32 > 0:11:37and, in return, their parents offered him hospitality, meals,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39and sometimes a bed for the night.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05The entries in Huckle's diary do not explicitly reveal his crimes.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10But, at the same time, he was posting graphic material anonymously
0:12:10 > 0:12:12on the dark web.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18On secret paedophile websites,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20he uploaded thousands of photographs and videos
0:12:20 > 0:12:23of the abuse he was committing.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39He made sickening boasts about his crimes
0:12:39 > 0:12:42to other paedophiles on the dark web.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Huckle was extraordinarily prolific on the dark web.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10He recorded the names of nearly 200 of his victims there.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13I want to know if any of his teaching colleagues
0:13:13 > 0:13:16were ever suspicious about his behaviour.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20- So, is that your Celta qualification?- That's it.
0:13:20 > 0:13:21- Ha.- That's the bit of paper.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Awarded by the British Council, Kuala Lumpur,
0:13:24 > 0:13:25and you passed.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Sam did an English language teaching course with Huckle in Malaysia.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36This is Huckle in a film promoting the course at the time.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42- Is that where you first met Richard, then, was he in your group?- Yep.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45The very first day I met him was the very first day of the course.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47What was your first impression of Richard?
0:13:47 > 0:13:52Quiet, mild-mannered, subdued, laid-back guy.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56Sam remembers Huckle as a loner who didn't socialise.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01He believed Huckle was motivated by a desire to help local children.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04I only ever saw him with one child.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06He brought the girl to me and my partner's place.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10We hung out, we went to the pool, we had food together,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13and then we went all the way back into the inner-city,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17or the suburbs to get home and meet the mum and the home and everything.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21So, for me it was quite natural, it felt OK,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23because here's this guy going out of his way,
0:14:23 > 0:14:24looking after this young kid.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26The mum can't do it, she's working,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30and I felt it was quite unselfish, you know, to take care of a child.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34And it seemed normal, the rapport between them was fine,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37there was nothing to me that was unsettling
0:14:37 > 0:14:39or made me uncomfortable at all.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41From the research that we've done,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45it would look to me like that was one of Huckle's victims
0:14:45 > 0:14:50that he sexually abused over a period of time.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52How do you feel about that,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55knowing that that child went through that, now?
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Um. Sick, you know, really...
0:14:57 > 0:15:00I'm sort of angry at myself that I didn't see this,
0:15:00 > 0:15:02why didn't I know this?
0:15:02 > 0:15:06But it just didn't appear that way at all. But it feels awful.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10And I think, how could this happen?
0:15:10 > 0:15:11Why...
0:15:11 > 0:15:13You almost think like victims, say, "Oh, I'm a victim here,"
0:15:13 > 0:15:16sort of thing. And it's just shocking, it's like you don't...
0:15:16 > 0:15:21There's no signs of abuse because you don't see someone hurting.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Not only did Sam meet the victims, but he met the mother.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Huckle's totally ingratiated into the family.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46I mean, how does a white Westerner ingratiate himself so much into a
0:15:46 > 0:15:49family that he can just bring strangers in
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and take their little girl out for, like, a whole day,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55without having to be really accountable for it?
0:15:55 > 0:16:00You know, to look Sam and other people in the eye every day,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02and the mother of those kids,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and to know what you're actually physically doing,
0:16:05 > 0:16:09and just to continue doing it, takes a real...
0:16:12 > 0:16:15..takes a real, kind of, sick individual, to be honest.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Huckle also escaped detection by deliberately targeting some of
0:16:32 > 0:16:35the most vulnerable children in Malaysia.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39He used to take very poor children
0:16:39 > 0:16:43on trips to rich parts of the capital, like this.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48There's no way that the kids that Huckle brought here weren't impressed,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51I'm impressed. I could stand and look at this all night.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55On the dark web,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59Huckle boasted about the lowly social status of his victims.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14He said poor kids were easier to abuse than rich Western ones.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18He moved into areas like this deliberately
0:17:18 > 0:17:21to get access to poor kids.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42Huckle exploited the reluctance
0:17:42 > 0:17:46to report child sexual abuse in Malaysia.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48People from the areas where he
0:17:48 > 0:17:51operated are still not willing to talk about him.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54I'm sure you rue the day
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- that Richard Huckle walked into your village.- Hmm.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02Eventually I managed to persuade one local politician to speak to me,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04on condition we disguised his face.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Huckle abused children from his village for several years,
0:18:18 > 0:18:24but he said he only heard about this when British police visited in 2016.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28So, the UK police told you that there were specific families
0:18:28 > 0:18:31in the village that had been affected, right?
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Right. You went to those families?
0:18:34 > 0:18:36What did you ask them?
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Do you believe that?
0:18:56 > 0:18:58That's my question to you.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06I want you to tell me if you think
0:19:06 > 0:19:10children in your village were abused.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11Were they abused?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Have you done anything to change that belief?
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Have you tried to change that belief,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25to convince these people that it did happen and that they need to be more
0:19:25 > 0:19:27careful in the future?
0:19:27 > 0:19:28But you can.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37What is more important, the protection of the community
0:19:37 > 0:19:39or the help for the victims?
0:19:46 > 0:19:48They're your children.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53They're the next generation of your community.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14That man represents a community that's in complete denial.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16And what hope have the victims got
0:20:16 > 0:20:19if the whole community won't accept that it happened?
0:20:21 > 0:20:26There's children that Huckle abused that are not receiving one iota of
0:20:26 > 0:20:30help because there's a community who refuse to accept it happened.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32And that's the bottom line in this,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34and that's just not good enough.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39It's just not good enough.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49The longer I spend here,
0:20:49 > 0:20:51the easier it is to understand
0:20:51 > 0:20:54how Huckle escaped being caught for so long.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59But there's one man I especially want to ask about warning signs.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03The pastor of the church where Huckle was a Sunday school teacher
0:21:03 > 0:21:05for several years.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09Huckle mentions him and his church repeatedly in his diary.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10But the pastor has publicly
0:21:10 > 0:21:13distanced himself from Huckle in the local press.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18I've just met the pastor and spoken to him,
0:21:18 > 0:21:19and he's played down
0:21:19 > 0:21:23Huckle's connections to both him and the church.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27He told me Huckle had never been at a Sunday School teacher at the church.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29He'd never got access to the kids on his own,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32and that nobody in the church and the congregation had any problem
0:21:32 > 0:21:35with Huckle's behaviour around children.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49It definitely feels a very affluent city.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Yeah. Very expensive.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55I wanted to put the pastor's questionable claims to Ann,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59the lady who organised Huckle's gap year and initially placed him in
0:21:59 > 0:22:00the pastor's church.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05I've spoken to the pastor in charge of the church,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and he told me that Huckle only
0:22:07 > 0:22:10visited the church on a number of occasions. Is that true?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13I don't believe that's true at all.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Why would you allow someone
0:22:17 > 0:22:21who visits occasionally
0:22:21 > 0:22:25to take your Sunday school students?
0:22:25 > 0:22:31Why would you allow those children to be placed in the hands of someone
0:22:31 > 0:22:33you didn't know?
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Then, Ann makes a remarkable revelation.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Very soon after Huckle was placed there,
0:22:42 > 0:22:48we had a complaint from a parent about Huckle smacking...
0:22:49 > 0:22:51..their child.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54- He smacked them?- I believe "He was smacking children",
0:22:54 > 0:22:57was the phrase that was used,
0:22:57 > 0:23:02and that he was also manhandling them out of the classroom,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04physically removing them.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09And he also was, I guess,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12a little violent towards some of them.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16For me in my head, that's a massive warning sign.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21- So, what did you do?- There was no way Huckle could continue.
0:23:21 > 0:23:27I met with one of the elders, the pastor, and his wife.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31Their request was that he be removed.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36We set up a meeting, and Huckle was called into the meeting.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39I asked him to leave the Gap Challenge programme
0:23:39 > 0:23:41and to pack his bags,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44and to remove himself from the area,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48and to organise an immediate flight home to the UK.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Huckle's diary confirmed that he was fired from his job at the church and
0:23:58 > 0:24:00removed from the gap year programme
0:24:00 > 0:24:02very soon after arriving in Malaysia.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08But the diary also reveals that, just one week later,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11the church independently gave Huckle his job back.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16So, Huckle was placed back with children?
0:24:16 > 0:24:21Yes, he was. Huckle was placed in charge by the very people who had
0:24:21 > 0:24:24asked me to remove him.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30Who was in that room when you had the meeting to remove Huckle from
0:24:30 > 0:24:35- his placement?- One of the elders, and the pastor and his wife.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38And who reinstated Huckle into the church?
0:24:38 > 0:24:44That same elder, and that particular pastor and his wife.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46How do you feel about that?
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Incredibly angry, very upset,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53and I, in many ways,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55feel responsible for those children.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58I do. And I can't not.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03What more could you have done?
0:25:06 > 0:25:08I don't know, but I wish I could think of something.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24I've talked to that pastor.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27He told me Huckle was a casual visitor to the church.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32That's completely different to what Ann has just said.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38Huckle was dismissed for smacking a child, and he never told me that.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41You have to ask yourself why he's not telling me
0:25:41 > 0:25:42the full truth.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Good morning, pastor, it's Bronagh Munro from the BBC.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Pastor, I was hoping to grab a conversation with you.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03I know we spoke before, but there's been a few issues that have come up
0:26:03 > 0:26:06that I'd like to chat to you about. I hope you'll give me a call.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08I look forward to speaking to you. Thanks. Bye-bye.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13I need to talk to him about some of the things he told me because we now
0:26:13 > 0:26:15know them not to be accurate.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21So, either he arranges the meeting, or we just have to go and find him.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32The pastor messages me
0:26:32 > 0:26:36to say he stands by everything he told me before.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38It looks like he doesn't want to speak to me again.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50I've just discovered there's a child protection conference on in
0:26:50 > 0:26:53the city, and we've come down and they've allowed us to come inside
0:26:53 > 0:26:55and have a look around.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01This is where we have initial travelling sex offenders...
0:27:01 > 0:27:05All the key characters that you'd want to speak to are here.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08And one of the officials has just told me that they think the key
0:27:08 > 0:27:10reason for this conference is Huckle.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19I've been trying for months to interview the Malaysian police.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23I want to ask them what could have been done to catch Huckle earlier.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25We're making a film in and around
0:27:25 > 0:27:30paedophilia and western offenders coming to countries like Malaysia.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33And I wanted to ask you some questions about Richard Huckle,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35and what happened...
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Oh, that Richard Huckle case...
0:27:38 > 0:27:40..not in this seminar.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44I'm forbidden to answer that because I think it is better for you
0:27:44 > 0:27:47to write into my department to ask about that.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49I'm very, very sorry.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52- No, no...- It's not that I don't want to cooperate with you.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54They're holding a whole conference here
0:27:54 > 0:27:57about sexual offences in their country
0:27:57 > 0:28:01and they won't talk to me about Richard Huckle.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05He's probably one of the country's biggest sex offenders to date.
0:28:05 > 0:28:06He's convicted.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10And it's still a taboo subject.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20But then, among the dignitaries...
0:28:22 > 0:28:25..I spot the one man I really want to speak to.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32The pastor that was in charge of the church that Huckle worked in is now
0:28:32 > 0:28:34standing talking to the unit
0:28:34 > 0:28:37that deals with child sexual abuse in Malaysia.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40This is the guy who won't talk to me.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43I certainly have a few question for this guy.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Sir, how are you doing?
0:28:50 > 0:28:53- How are you doing? You've met me before.- Oh!
0:28:53 > 0:28:54OK, OK, good, good.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56Can I talk to you for a few minutes, sir?
0:28:56 > 0:29:00I want to ask you why you didn't tell me about your relationship with
0:29:00 > 0:29:02Richard Huckle?
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Would you like to tell me what the extent of your relationship with
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Richard Huckle was?
0:29:07 > 0:29:11And I would also like to ask you, sir,
0:29:11 > 0:29:12you told me that Richard Huckle
0:29:12 > 0:29:16didn't work in your church at the Sunday school.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Sir, that's not a reply.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22I asked you questions.
0:29:23 > 0:29:28Why did you not tell me that Richard Huckle taught in the Sunday school?
0:29:32 > 0:29:37Sir, we've been told by the person who ran the Gap Year Challenge that
0:29:37 > 0:29:41- Huckle was placed in your church as part of that challenge.- Ah!
0:29:41 > 0:29:44And... let me finish, pastor.
0:29:44 > 0:29:49..and that Huckle was removed from his position in the church
0:29:49 > 0:29:51and the Challenge because he smacked a child.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53In fact, he smacked children.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58You told me, when I spoke to you,
0:29:58 > 0:30:00that you had never had any concerns
0:30:00 > 0:30:04raised to you about Huckle's behaviour.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Pastor, did you take part in a meeting
0:30:07 > 0:30:11where Huckle's future in your church was discussed?
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Did that happen?
0:30:18 > 0:30:20We've been told you were there.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Are you saying that that's not true?
0:30:30 > 0:30:33You don't remember, or it didn't happen?
0:30:39 > 0:30:43OK. Tell me why you didn't tell me the full extent of your relationship
0:30:43 > 0:30:45with Richard?
0:30:45 > 0:30:48You didn't think it was relevant to our film?
0:30:55 > 0:30:59No, no, sorry, I don't accept that, actually.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01It's not something that would slip your memory.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04I find that hard to believe, sir.
0:31:06 > 0:31:07Yeah, yeah.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Honestly, I don't know who's more rattled -
0:31:10 > 0:31:17him or I. Because I didn't expect to bump into him like that.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21And still I feel that he's almost afraid to admit that Huckle
0:31:21 > 0:31:23was in his life.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26And that's very sad when you're standing in a place like this,
0:31:26 > 0:31:30where everybody is calling for transparency to help the victims.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Most of the Malaysian children Huckle abused have been left
0:31:41 > 0:31:43without any counselling or help.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49That's unlikely to change until people here come to terms
0:31:49 > 0:31:51with the magnitude of his crimes.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01But Huckle didn't only destroy lives in Malaysia.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04He also travelled to Cambodia -
0:32:04 > 0:32:08a notorious magnet for western sex tourists and paedophiles.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16Wow. There's so many tiny, young girls.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18I've come to the capital, Phnom Penh,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21to investigate why it was so easy for Huckle to commit abuse here.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28Have you partaken in a little bit of sex tourism?
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Not too much? Just a little?
0:32:30 > 0:32:32A little.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36Don't touch the camera, now, that's rude, please.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47Can I take this one? Can I take two?
0:32:47 > 0:32:50- Three?- Yes.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53Huckle was drawn to a city where vulnerable and poor children
0:32:53 > 0:32:55are readily accessible.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03You've been selling in the street ten years? What age did you start?
0:33:06 > 0:33:08Wow.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17Huckle would also have known about a Cambodian custom called Homestays.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22Backpackers and tourists on a budget
0:33:22 > 0:33:25pay to sleep in the houses of locals.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32In his diary, Huckle records staying with families.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49When Huckle came here, he'd organised to stay
0:33:49 > 0:33:51with a local family.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54Half of his trip he spent with this family.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57You get access to the family, you get access to the children.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07I want to get a sense of how easy it would have been for Huckle
0:34:07 > 0:34:09to groom his host's children.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11GIGGLING
0:34:12 > 0:34:15Woo! Who's next?
0:34:15 > 0:34:17Huckle wasn't put up in this village,
0:34:17 > 0:34:21but it's typical of the kind of place western tourists stay.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25I think not, just the family, but the whole of the village has come
0:34:25 > 0:34:28into the yard to see who we are,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31and I think just to have a look at us because we're so different.
0:34:46 > 0:34:51Sarun charges tourists less than 4 a night to stay with her family.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54- They sleep in this room?- Yeah.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00It's very pretty. I like the colours!
0:35:00 > 0:35:03I would take the one with the most pink.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Take the prettiest one.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13Sarun's children normally sleep on the same floor as the guests,
0:35:13 > 0:35:16and she sleeps downstairs.
0:35:17 > 0:35:22Would it surprise you that a western man came to Cambodia and,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25while he was visiting as a tourist,
0:35:25 > 0:35:29he took advantage of local children?
0:35:36 > 0:35:40This man, in particular, made the family like him,
0:35:40 > 0:35:44in order to get access to the children.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Would that surprise you?
0:35:59 > 0:36:05This woman had to sell all her land to pay her husband's medical bill.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10And then, after that, she had to rely on people coming here,
0:36:10 > 0:36:12to feed her family.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16Until I mentioned it to her, it never even occurred to her
0:36:16 > 0:36:19that someone could come into her family as a tourist,
0:36:19 > 0:36:22and be there solely to take advantage of the kids,
0:36:22 > 0:36:24and not just the hospitality.
0:36:47 > 0:36:52Huckle ruthlessly exploited the innocence of Cambodian families.
0:36:52 > 0:36:57When you read his diary, he says the little girl seemed quite frightened
0:36:57 > 0:36:59of him.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03As he continues on his trip, day four, day five,
0:37:03 > 0:37:07he says he got to hold the little girl.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09So, he was winning her over.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Huckle sexually assaulted this two-year-old girl,
0:37:23 > 0:37:27and posted photographs of this on the dark web.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30He easily slipped out of Cambodia,
0:37:30 > 0:37:33and his abuse didn't come to light until years later.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53But Huckle visited another country in Asia,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56where no crime of his has ever been detected before.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07I know Huckle came to India at least four times.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12I can't see any sign of a British or Indian police investigation.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14But I think there's a very real possibility
0:38:14 > 0:38:16Huckle committed abuse here.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31In India, Huckle played up his Christian faith to gain access
0:38:31 > 0:38:33to orphanages run by churches.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37I've tracked down the first one he targeted,
0:38:37 > 0:38:40in a remote and rural part of the country.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44Please, please.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46The pastor in charge has never spoken publicly
0:38:46 > 0:38:48about Huckle's time here.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54Pastor Elisha regularly performs exorcisms.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57The practice of expelling demons
0:38:57 > 0:39:00from people who say they've become possessed.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02SHOUTING
0:39:07 > 0:39:08Possessed?
0:39:10 > 0:39:13In his diary, Huckle describes becoming possessed like this
0:39:13 > 0:39:15when he was here.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21Please.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Please. Please.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36So, what Huckle says is that he became possessed
0:39:36 > 0:39:39while he was here with you.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41Do you remember that?
0:39:52 > 0:39:55When you felt something's not right,
0:39:55 > 0:39:57what did you do?
0:40:11 > 0:40:14Did you feel that there was some danger with having him here?
0:40:28 > 0:40:29We have Huckle's diary, OK?
0:40:29 > 0:40:32- We got a copy of Huckle's diary.- OK.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36Huckle wrote in his diary that he confessed to you.
0:40:36 > 0:40:42- Hm.- And I wanted to know what that confession might have been.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53I'm asking because he wrote, "Pastor came to the hotel,
0:40:53 > 0:40:57"and I made a confession to him."
0:40:57 > 0:41:01So, I wanted to ask you if you maybe remembered even talking to him
0:41:01 > 0:41:02in the hotel?
0:41:11 > 0:41:14UPBEAT SINGING
0:41:18 > 0:41:22What's most alarming about Huckle's diary entries here are his comments
0:41:22 > 0:41:24about the children in the orphanage.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27He talks about them in the same way
0:41:27 > 0:41:31as children he is known to have abused in Malaysia and Cambodia.
0:41:32 > 0:41:37He wrote, "I had a long cuddle with a little girl."
0:41:37 > 0:41:41OK. Now, that little girl that he wrote that about,
0:41:41 > 0:41:44he says came from this orphanage.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50How do you feel, knowing that he might have done that
0:41:50 > 0:41:51to a little girl here?
0:42:00 > 0:42:04How did you feel when you found out about what Richard Huckle had done
0:42:04 > 0:42:07to children? How did that make you feel?
0:42:20 > 0:42:23This is a really taboo subject.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26He was much more forthright than I ever expected him to be,
0:42:26 > 0:42:30and he answered every question, and he didn't shy away from anything.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34The only thing he didn't answer that I REALLY wanted an answer to,
0:42:34 > 0:42:36was what did Huckle confess to?
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Huckle travelled all across India.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06And it wasn't only rural orphanages and churches
0:43:06 > 0:43:08where he looked for children.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12He also targeted slums in big cities.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21Hello.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Huckle never came here. But, on the dark web,
0:43:24 > 0:43:28he boasted about how easy it was to groom children from poor communities
0:43:28 > 0:43:29like this one.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32May I look inside?
0:43:32 > 0:43:34Thank you.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39How many people live here?
0:43:39 > 0:43:41Seven?
0:43:41 > 0:43:42Where do you sleep?
0:43:42 > 0:43:46On the floor?
0:43:46 > 0:43:48- That's the bathroom?- Yeah.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51This is the bathroom.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Yeah? You tip it over.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57You sleep here. You wash here.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59To eat?
0:43:59 > 0:44:00Here.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02One room does all.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15This place smells.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17It's crawling with flies.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21It's really dirty.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24But this is the kind of place that Huckle came
0:44:24 > 0:44:26to look for children.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50Huckle's diary makes several references
0:44:50 > 0:44:53to one particular girl from a slum.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55After tracking her and her family down,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59I discover no-one has ever asked them about Huckle before.
0:44:59 > 0:45:04To protect her and her sister, we are disguising their identities
0:45:04 > 0:45:06and the area they're from.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11I felt he was a nice man.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13I thought he was helping me.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15I thought he was good.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18I liked him so much at that time.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22This girl was ten years old when Huckle turned up in her slum.
0:45:22 > 0:45:27He was 26, and had already been grooming children for years.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30He showed me family photos.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34He said it's Malaysia, that he was going there.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36He asked me to go with him.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39So, Huckle wanted you to come to Malaysia with him?
0:45:39 > 0:45:41- Yes.- Yes.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45I said no, no, I wanted to be with Mum.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49Then he told me to go with him, and that he would bring me up.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52I said no. I was scared at that time.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56Did you see Huckle do something that was wrong to your sister?
0:45:56 > 0:46:00He was trying to lift her skirt with his foot.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02My sister moved away.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06Some kind of fear filled me.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09I didn't expect that he would be like that.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13I said, "Hey," and I told him off.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16He smiled, and took his legs away.
0:46:16 > 0:46:17Then I ran away from there.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24But Huckle returned to the slum just a few days later.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28Pretending that he was making a film about the residents,
0:46:28 > 0:46:31he led the girl into a nearby church.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37He made me sit in the chair.
0:46:37 > 0:46:39He made me sit very close to him.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42He started to look at me weirdly.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45I felt something was wrong.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47My heartbeat was racing.
0:46:47 > 0:46:53I was scared. Immediately, I got up.
0:46:53 > 0:46:54He came running behind me.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58I hadn't noticed that he had locked the door.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01I...I couldn't open it.
0:47:01 > 0:47:02He came running behind me.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07I managed to open the lock and ran away.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18Huckle's diary does not suggest he offended in India on anything like
0:47:18 > 0:47:21the same scale as he did in Malaysia.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24But he made at least four visits here.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28None of these have been investigated by the authorities.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33When I read the diary,
0:47:33 > 0:47:36I had a hunch that Huckle had committed the same type of offences
0:47:36 > 0:47:39in India that he did in Malaysia.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41And when I stood in front of those two little girls...
0:47:44 > 0:47:46..it didn't feel good to be right.
0:47:48 > 0:47:49It didn't feel good at all.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03One of the first things I noticed, pastor, when I came through
0:48:03 > 0:48:06the gate, was this security camera, and the barbed wire.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08Were they here when Huckle came?
0:48:08 > 0:48:11When Huckle came, they were already there.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18I tracked down another pastor who hosted Huckle twice.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21By the time Huckle visited this orphanage,
0:48:21 > 0:48:23he'd been abusing children for seven years.
0:48:26 > 0:48:27So, this was your first building?
0:48:27 > 0:48:30Yeah, this was the first building that we did.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34Pastor Gandhi says he ensured that Huckle was never left alone with
0:48:34 > 0:48:37any of the children during his stay.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40When Huckle came here, this is where the children were sleeping,
0:48:40 > 0:48:42- is that right? - Yes, this is the place.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44But Huckle was not allowed to sleep with them.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47- Yes.- He is staying in a different room.- Mm-hm.
0:48:50 > 0:48:55The pastor says he had a premonition about Huckle after he first met him.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59I was laying on his bed,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02and I started having some bad dreams.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04And what was that telling you?
0:49:04 > 0:49:08He started showing me some pictures, some naked pictures.
0:49:08 > 0:49:13- Of children?- It's not totally children but there are some other
0:49:13 > 0:49:15- pictures, they are ugly.- Yeah.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19Then I discerned there is something wrong going on here in this bedroom,
0:49:19 > 0:49:21and with Huckle.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25That happened overnight,
0:49:25 > 0:49:27and you think there's something wrong with Huckle.
0:49:27 > 0:49:29What did you do?
0:49:29 > 0:49:31The very next morning, I asked him,
0:49:31 > 0:49:36are you practising any pornographic practices?
0:49:36 > 0:49:41And he simply said, "No, no, no, I don't have such problems,
0:49:41 > 0:49:43"I don't have anything like that."
0:49:43 > 0:49:47And then I said, "If you are practising any kind of sin,
0:49:47 > 0:49:50"then you must renounce it and come to God."
0:50:03 > 0:50:07During the nine years Huckle lived and travelled in Asia,
0:50:07 > 0:50:08his behaviour on social media
0:50:08 > 0:50:11did raise some suspicions back in the UK.
0:50:13 > 0:50:17On Facebook, he posted vast numbers of pictures of himself with
0:50:17 > 0:50:19the children he was meeting.
0:50:19 > 0:50:24I contacted around 20 of Huckle's Facebook friends but only one agreed
0:50:24 > 0:50:27to speak on camera.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29He went to school with Huckle here in Kent.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35In 2012, he challenged Huckle on Facebook about his posts.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43But just before we're about to meet, even he gets cold feet.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47"I've had some time to think about this
0:50:47 > 0:50:49"and not really happy with going ahead.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53"I'm a little wary of how this will be seen with the public,
0:50:53 > 0:50:56"due to the sickening content from him,
0:50:56 > 0:50:58"which is not something I want my name against."
0:50:58 > 0:51:03He basically called Huckle out on the amount,
0:51:03 > 0:51:06the sheer amount of kids photographs Huckle was posting on Facebook.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09And basically accused him of being a paedophile.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12According to this guy, Huckle was
0:51:12 > 0:51:14really quick to come back and deny
0:51:14 > 0:51:17and challenge him about the accusation
0:51:17 > 0:51:21but it's really key because it was Huckle's contemporaries,
0:51:21 > 0:51:25it was the people the same age as Huckle that kind of thought what he
0:51:25 > 0:51:26was doing was a bit weird.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35But Huckle only ever revealed his true character on the dark web.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41He became increasingly reckless and arrogant about posting videos and
0:51:41 > 0:51:44pictures of the crimes he was committing.
0:51:46 > 0:51:52Huckle had become so consumed by the abuse that he turned it into a game
0:51:52 > 0:51:56and started awarding himself paedo points for abusing the children.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01He even set rules where he didn't allow himself to abuse the same
0:52:01 > 0:52:04child in the same week in the same way.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09The most serious offences, like rape, earned 15 points.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13In the year up to November 2014,
0:52:13 > 0:52:17Huckle managed to score over 1,300 points.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24And he recorded all of this on something he called a paedo ledger.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41It was at this point that Huckle's crimes finally caught up with him,
0:52:41 > 0:52:44nine years after he'd left the UK on his gap year.
0:52:46 > 0:52:51Australian police infiltrated a notorious dark website
0:52:51 > 0:52:55and discovered that one of its most prolific users was British.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59Police in the UK were alerted.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06That internet usage enabled us to identify who he was and where he
0:53:06 > 0:53:09was, and then our investigations started to proceed at a rapid rate
0:53:09 > 0:53:13of knots at that stage. He was giving guidance to other paedophiles
0:53:13 > 0:53:18about how to operate, so that was something completely new to us
0:53:18 > 0:53:22and just reflected the depravity and the dangerous situations that
0:53:22 > 0:53:26this individual was creating with very young children,
0:53:26 > 0:53:29ranging from six months to about 13 years of age.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38British police learned that Huckle was flying back from Malaysia to
0:53:38 > 0:53:40the UK for Christmas.
0:53:40 > 0:53:46On the 19th of December 2014, he was arrested at Gatwick Airport.
0:53:46 > 0:53:5020,000 images of abuse were found on his computer,
0:53:50 > 0:53:53and he was taken into custody.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21During interview, Huckle refused to answer the questions
0:54:21 > 0:54:24that we put to him. He showed no remorse whatsoever.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28There's not one point in time that he's ever asked about the victims.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31He's never asked about their welfare,
0:54:31 > 0:54:33he's never asked about the impact.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39After months of painstaking interrogation
0:54:39 > 0:54:42of the pictures and videos
0:54:42 > 0:54:44Huckle had posted on the dark web,
0:54:44 > 0:54:49he was charged with 91 offences and abusing 23 children.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55This is Richard, just to let you know I'm still remanded in prison.
0:54:55 > 0:55:00If you still want to keep in touch, then just send me a letter sometime.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07Huckle continued to believe he could escape punishment.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11From his cell, he wrote to Pastor Gandhi in India,
0:55:11 > 0:55:14the man he'd lied to previously about his crimes.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19"Greetings to you and your family.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23"For the past 12 months, I've been imprisoned, waiting for a trial,
0:55:23 > 0:55:26"a trial that the British authorities want to pursue with me."
0:55:28 > 0:55:30He's in Belmarsh.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33He says,
0:55:33 > 0:55:40"But I would like to assure you that I have done no harm or distress
0:55:40 > 0:55:42"despite the serious charges the British authorities
0:55:42 > 0:55:44"have put before me."
0:55:44 > 0:55:49This letter is dated 27th of March 2016.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51So, it's right before his trial.
0:55:53 > 0:55:57So, there's no acceptance he's committed any offence.
0:55:58 > 0:56:02"God bless you, Richard Huckle."
0:56:02 > 0:56:06This guy is either seriously deluded
0:56:06 > 0:56:09and completely off the scale
0:56:09 > 0:56:13if he doesn't realise that he's done wrong.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15Or he's deliberately underplaying
0:56:15 > 0:56:18what he did to make sure he keeps Gandhi
0:56:18 > 0:56:20as a friend, as a confidante.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27But Huckle was fighting a losing battle.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31British Police believed they could convict him without any of
0:56:31 > 0:56:35the victims reliving the trauma of their abuse in court.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40The photos and videos Huckle had posted on the dark web provided
0:56:40 > 0:56:43all the evidence they needed.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45He didn't record his offending in a way that he was obvious
0:56:45 > 0:56:47in those videos.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49We couldn't see his face but we could see clothing and
0:56:49 > 0:56:53various other items that would lead us to identify him.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57I think as the evidence unravelled and as the evidence was discovered,
0:56:57 > 0:57:00then I think the penny began to drop and the weight of evidence was so
0:57:00 > 0:57:02strong that he pleaded guilty.
0:57:06 > 0:57:08A former Sunday School teacher,
0:57:08 > 0:57:11considered to be one of Britain's most prolific paedophiles,
0:57:11 > 0:57:13is facing a life sentence
0:57:13 > 0:57:16for a catalogue of abuse against children in Malaysia.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19Richard Huckle, who's 30 and from Ashford in Kent,
0:57:19 > 0:57:21admitted more than 70 charges.
0:57:26 > 0:57:30Huckle was convicted of abusing 23 children at his trial,
0:57:30 > 0:57:33although the judge noted that the ledger where he recorded his crimes
0:57:33 > 0:57:38on the dark web contained the names of 191 children.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47But the true number of victims is likely to be even greater.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53Huckle has refused to hand over the passwords to some of the hard drives
0:57:53 > 0:57:56he stored images on and they remain locked.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04His diary also reveals he spent time with kids from churches in Britain.
0:58:34 > 0:58:38He's getting himself into churches, he's spending time with young kids.
0:58:38 > 0:58:41He says he is teaching them and he is also talking his way into their
0:58:41 > 0:58:44homes and having sleepovers with them.
0:58:44 > 0:58:47He writes about dreaming about these kids and names them,
0:58:47 > 0:58:49and he's talking about kissing them.
0:58:51 > 0:58:54He was absolutely prolific.
0:58:54 > 0:58:57We need to look at what went on in the UK at the times and places and
0:58:57 > 0:59:01spaces that he occupied here in positions of trust.
0:59:03 > 0:59:05Jim Gamble used to lead police
0:59:05 > 0:59:08investigations into child abuse in the UK.
0:59:08 > 0:59:10He believes Huckle's movements here
0:59:10 > 0:59:13need to be investigated more extensively.
0:59:13 > 0:59:16How likely is it that someone like Huckle offended here in
0:59:16 > 0:59:18- the UK?- Highly likely.
0:59:18 > 0:59:22I would be shocked if there were no victims of his in this country.
0:59:22 > 0:59:25So, the fact that his 200 victims, I would say, you know,
0:59:25 > 0:59:29if you were to really focus on him and had the resources to focus in
0:59:29 > 0:59:32depth on him for significant period of time, there would be more.
0:59:32 > 0:59:36I would say that within the next 10-15 years other young people,
0:59:36 > 0:59:40who are young now, who have been abused by Huckle, will come forward.
0:59:47 > 0:59:49We know Huckle spent a significant
0:59:49 > 0:59:51amount of time in a church here in London.
0:59:51 > 0:59:54Have you approached that church?
0:59:54 > 0:59:56Yeah, we are aware of two churches that he attended.
0:59:56 > 0:59:59We've approached both of those churches and we've spoken to them,
0:59:59 > 1:00:03and they've assured us that to the best of their knowledge that they
1:00:03 > 1:00:05are not aware of any offending
1:00:05 > 1:00:08or any suspicions that they had at the time.
1:00:08 > 1:00:12I mean, is it enough for the church leaders to say they've asked and
1:00:12 > 1:00:17there's been no abuse? Huckle spent overnight stays in some of the homes
1:00:17 > 1:00:19of these churchgoers.
1:00:19 > 1:00:23Should the NCA call themselves in to talk to these families?
1:00:23 > 1:00:27I'm not aware of him staying with families.
1:00:27 > 1:00:30But if there are any families, parents,
1:00:30 > 1:00:34children that believe he has been engaged in any sexual activity with
1:00:34 > 1:00:37children, then we would like to speak to them.
1:00:37 > 1:00:42I would not support going and approaching victims direct.
1:00:42 > 1:00:46But our responsibility is, as soon as they do come forward,
1:00:46 > 1:00:48is then to provide them with the service they absolutely deserve,
1:00:48 > 1:00:52which is support for them and then investigate the crimes that are
1:00:52 > 1:00:54reported to us.
1:01:03 > 1:01:07Richard Huckle was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
1:01:07 > 1:01:11A ruthless predator who posed as a friend to the most poor,
1:01:11 > 1:01:13innocent and vulnerable.
1:01:15 > 1:01:19Lessons must be learned about how he was able to commit unspeakable
1:01:19 > 1:01:22crimes in plain sight for nearly a decade.
1:01:24 > 1:01:28For now, at least, Huckle's offending has been stopped
1:01:28 > 1:01:31but we'll probably never know the full extent
1:01:31 > 1:01:35of the devastation and pain he left behind.