A SCOUTMASTER got his kicks from tying up young boy scouts in punishment rituals.
Steven Etherington, 44, bound the hands and feet of one teenage boy in a "hog-tie" and whipped him with a wet tea towel for not wearing a high-visibility vest whilst cycling.
Another boy was staked to the ground and tied to tent pegs in a star shape to teach him not to be ticklish.
Today, the father of one of the boys voiced fears that Etherington, a scoutmaster and a cub leader in the East Riding for 20 years, may have targeted other young boys.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: "I was very shocked. I have taken it quite badly, it's really disturbed me as we trusted him.
"He liked young boys and tying them up for his own sexual gratification. He either got his kicks afterwards or by just doing it.
"If my son hadn't come forward and said something, it can only have got worse, resulting in either physical sexual abuse or he could have hurt them.
"I already know other boys who have been tied up by him when they were young but whether they come forward or not is another thing.
"I'm sure there will be quite a lot of anxious parents. Etherington needs to receive the punishment he deserves."
Etherington, who is unmarried, was the Scouts' child protection officer in charge of training scout leaders across the district and has looked after more than 100 boys aged eight to 14.
Scout leaders are given weeks of training and are subjected to CRB checks.
Hull Crown Court heard Etherington targeted young boys whilst they were on their own doing odd jobs and helping him to set-up camps.
Etherington, of Fat Rabbit Farm in Fangfoss, near Pocklington, had tied up one victim with cable ties as punishment for not wearing a cycle vest.
The boy immediately told his parents, who confronted Etherington.
Etherington also tied the boy to trees and tickled him or tied him up with rope and challenged him to try and reach chocolate bars.
He had told his victim it would help them understand what it was like to have a disability.
One victim said Etherington had staked him to the ground with tent pegs tying each wrist and each ankle to a peg in a star shape telling him he would teach him not to be ticklish.
Etherington pleaded guilty to common assault but claimed it was not sexually motivated.
During the trial, Etherington's barrister Mark Bury said his client had never really "grown up" and likened him to "Peter Pan".
However, a jury took just three hours to find him guilty of two counts of sexual assault.
Prosecutor David Gordon said Etherington did it for his own "sexual gratification" and Etherington is due to be sentenced next month.
Detective Constable Mandy Kellington of Humberside Police's Public Protection Unit said: "I am extremely pleased with the verdict.
"The victims and their families involved with the investigation conducted themselves in a dignified manner in what must have been the most difficult of circumstances, particularly as the defendant was in a position of trust.
"Humberside Police is totally committed to investigating such serious crimes to ensure justice is served and I hope that now the victims and their families can put this behind them and move on with their lives."
Etherington has been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register.
Etherington, who had also trained scout leaders across the district on how to safely take children away for the night, was immediately banned from ever being a scoutmaster again by the association, which conducts stringent vetting of adults involved with young people.
In response to the news, he burnt his scout uniform.
The father of one of the victims praised the boys' courage in raising the alarm.
He said: "The boys have been very brave in coming forward. It has been very confusing for them because it was a person they trusted.
"My son knew what had happened was crossing the line and he was brave enough to come forward.
"I would urge other adults not to brush aside complaints made by children but to take them seriously and act on them.
"If you have the slightest suspicion something is wrong, don't palm it off but confront it straight away. If something is happening, they have to pluck up the courage to tell someone as it is the only way it will stop."
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