A SCOUTMASTER from East Yorkshire has been found guilty of sexually abusing young boys in bizarre punishment rituals.

Steven Etherington, of Fangfoss Lane, Wilberfoss, bound the hands and feet of one teenager with cable ties and whipped him with a tea towel for not wearing a high-visibility vest while cycling, Hull Crown Court heard.

The 44-year-old, who has been in charge of more than 100 boys aged between eight and 14 during his 20-year career as a scoutmaster and a cub leader in East Yorkshire, also staked another boy to the ground and tied him to tent pegs in a star shape to “teach him not to be ticklish”.

During the trial, Etherington’s barrister, Mark Bury, said his client had never really “grown up” and said he was like “Peter Pan”.

But prosecutor David Gordon said Etherington, who is unmarried, did it for his own “sexual gratification”.

He said that Etherington targeted young boys while they were on their own doing odd jobs and helping him to set up camps.

Etherington, who was the Scouts’ child protection officer in charge of training scout leaders across the Yorkshire district, pleaded guilty to common assault but claimed it was not sexually motivated.

But a jury at Hull Crown Court took just three hours to find him guilty of two counts of sexual assault.

Detective Constable Mandy Kellington, of Humberside Police’s Public Protection Unit, welcomed the guilty verdict.

She said: “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.

“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.

In addition he was immediately banned from ever being a scoutmaster again by the association, which conducts stringent criminal checks of adults involved with young people.

Etherington has reportedly since burned his scout uniform.

He is due to be sentenced next month.