A man awarded the MBE for his voluntary work with youngsters died in prison while serving a sentence for sex offences against boys, it emerged today.
Harry Charles Day, from North Walsham, Norfolk, was jailed for 13 years in 2009 for 20 sexual offences, including gross indecency and incitement, against eight boys.
In 2016 he was sentenced to a further three years in prison, to run concurrently, for seven offences of indecent assault against four victims all under the age of 16 at the time.
The offences took place between 1969 and 1986 at the Young Citizens Guild at Hemsby, Norfolk – a charity initially launched by Day in the 1950s to help young people grow into confident and community-minded citizens.
The disgraced youth worker died aged 87 while a serving prisoner at HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire in September 2024.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman which investigated his death has now revealed that he died in a hospice of leukaemia.
In its report, the watchdog criticised the Prison Service for putting him in handcuffs when he was taken from the prison to hospital before his death and kept restrained in his bed for a further six days.
“We can see no justification for using restraints on Mr Day given the negligible risk of escape,” they added.
Day received his MBE in 2004 and a British Empire Medal for his work in helping young people, aged eight to 18.
The Young Citizen’s Guild taught teenagers how to work with emergency services such as police, firemen, and paramedics.
Around 100 youngsters attended holiday and weekend camps at Hemsby each year.
Day was initially convicted of 11 counts of gross indecency on boys in his care at the guild’s camp between 1985 and 1990.
He was charged with further offences by Norfolk Constabulary’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit in 2015 after another of his victims came forward.
He was later charged with more offences taking the number of victims he has been convicted of offences against to 12.
At the time, Detective Constable Mark Stratford said: “The victims were extremely brave to come forward and report the abuse which took place decades ago.”It is clear Day preyed on these young boys, the youngest of which was just nine years old at the time, for his own sexual gratification.”