Cllr Russell Tillson found guilty on four out of six historic sex crimes

Cllr Russell Tillson (pictured) who sits on New Romney Town Council and Dymchurch Parish Council  has been found guilty on four of the six counts of historic sex crimes on of three pupils at the prestigous Tonbridge School, over a 17-year period.

Tillson (73) was found guilty of the four charges at Maidstone Crown Court, by the jury, today 29 June 2023.

Judge Philip St John-Stevens told him: “You have been convicted on four counts and a term of imprisonment is likely if not inevitable.”

Tillson has been granted bail until 1 September 2023, when he will be sentenced following the preparation of reports by the probation service.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Tillson used his power and position as a teacher to sexually abuse boys in his care.” It is clear justice can be achieved, no matter who the perpetrator is or how long ago it happened.

If you have concerns about any child then please contact Kent Police.

We hope the victims of these crimes can now find a degree of closure.

Cllr Tillson has courted controversy before, as he came to Private Eye’s attention on two occasions and they published the following. (Tillson was never a MP)

He first came to our attention when we reported on his expenses claims made by him and his fellow New Romney Cllr – Peter Simmons. Tillson was not relected to the District Council in 2015. A  report was published into the expenses claims on the 16 November 2015, and it made clear there were issues with the internal control process.

After the report was published, an SDC spokesperson at Shepway District Council stated:

“Former Cllr Tillson is no longer a district councillor therefore our Monitoring Officer cannot investigate a complaint about him in that role.”

The Shepway Vox Team

Journalism for the People NOT the Powerful