Surrey group founder convicted of raping 12-year-old

Stephen Ireland, 41, founder of Pride in Surrey, has been convicted of raping a 12-year-old boy. The incident occurred in April 2024 at his flat, where the boy was lured through the dating app Grindr. Ireland and his co-defendant, David Sutton, 27, faced 38 charges, including sexual assault and conspiracy to commit child sex offenses. Both men were found guilty of multiple offenses, while some charges were dismissed. They will be sentenced on June 30. Prior to the trial, both admitted to possessing prohibited images of children.