British man arrested in Delhi for sexually abusing blind school children

Ward was caught 'red-handed' by an NGO employee

A British man was taken into custody on Sunday in Delhi for allegedly sexually assaulting three blind children at a home run by an NGO named the National Association for the Blind.

According to police, Murray Dennis Ward was arrested from his rented home in Vasant Kunj Enclave after getting caught ‘red-handed’ abusing the boys in a dormitory by an employee of the home.

“He recorded a video of the act on his mobile phone before alerting the management,” said the police joint-commissioner of southern-eastern range, RP Upadhyay.



The 54-year-old denies charges but the video and objectionable material found on his laptop vindicates allegations. “Initial investigation reveals he is a pedophile,” said Chinmoy Biswal, the additional deputy joint commissioner of police (south).

Ward, a senior official at a multinational company based in India’s Gurgaon until last April, is currently being treated for a paralytic attack he suffered in February this year.

A frequent visitor at the RK Puram, the British man supported children’s education and hostel expenses through donations besides being a volunteer teacher of English and communication skills, according to the general secretary of the association, Prashant Ranjan Verma. “We never received a complaint against him before,” he said.



However, on Saturday, he was caught “doing objectionable acts with the kids” by an employee, said Verma. “The employee separated Ward from the children before alerting us… When senior officials met the children and enquired on Sunday afternoon, three children confirmed the allegations.”

The children, Verma stressed, were never allowed to meet visitors in closed rooms but Ward had been given access due to his long association with the NGO.

Soon after the incident, association informed the police. He has been charged with legal provisions in the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act, and sent to police custody for two days.

This article originally appeared in the Hindustan Times.