Abuser Stephen Finnigan died in prison earlier this month after serving barely two years of his 29 year sentence
A survivor of a “depraved” Army Cadets instructor spent most of his adult life inside the “safety” of prison because he knew his abuser could not get to him. Stephen Finnigan groomed four boys before assaulting them while working as an Army Cadets colour sergeant in Merseyside in the 1980s and 1990s.
Finnigan, of Litherland, was said to have used the cadets as a “means of providing him with a source of boys whom he could groom and thereafter abuse”, a trial at Liverpool Crown Court previously heard. Finnigan, who claimed the boys – aged between eight and 14 – had conspired together to get him in trouble, smiled and shook his head as he was sentenced in January 2024 to 29 years and eight months in prison for dozens of offences.
The ECHO understands Finnigan died earlier this month in prison aged 65, barely two years into his sentence. His death on April 4 at HMP Swaleside in Kent was listed on the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) website on Thursday. The PPO investigates all deaths in custody.
A spokesperson for the Prison Service told the ECHO: “HMP Swaleside prisoner Stephen Finnigan died on 4 April 2026. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.”
Following Finnigan’s death, one of his victims, who was just 11 at the time of the abuse, told the ECHO: “I was so scared of him. I was terrified for all those years. I’ve got nothing to be scared of anymore.”
The man, whose identity is automatically protected for life as a victim of a sexual crime, said because of the nature of the abuse he did not share any of the details with anyone until 2017. “I was just a young child. A normal lad, a good student at school, but my life went off the rails,” he told the ECHO.
“When I was a lad my grandad was in the military and I had my heart set on going to serve for my country. After the abuse I hated authority. I took drugs and alcohol and committed crime. I felt safe being locked in prison because I knew he couldn’t get to me.
“I have spent most of my life in prison. When I got released I would commit another crime to go straight back. I ruined my own life by going to prison.”
The survivor was preyed upon when Finnigan was an instructor at the King’s Regiment Army Cadets in Netherton. The ECHO is not revealing the period of time he was there, how old he is now or where he lives to ensure his identity is protected.
The survivor said the abuse began at the base but escalated when Finnigan, grooming the boys with cigarettes and alcohol, would invite them back to his house under the premise of sewing on buttons or polishing their boots. He added this was “where the worst of the abuse” happened.
Finnigan also abused boys at a firing range and on camping trips. Liverpool Crown Court heard how on one trip, he sexually assaulted one of the boys, who was left so traumatised that he slept outside the tent all night and got hypothermia.
Merseyside Police began an investigation after receiving a report in 2014 of sexual offences against a child which spanned a several-year period. Further victims also came forward which ultimately led to the charge in 2022.
Liverpool Crown Court heard one victim contacted the police after reading about the abuse committed by disgraced BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile, while another reported Finnigan, most recently of Longfield Road, Litherland, after seeing he received a medal for “exceptional service” to the cadets.
The ECHO reported the award in 2013, before the allegations were first publicly raised against Finnigan. The twisted offender was described by a senior cadet officer as a “Scouser through and through” with “incredible empathy with local young people”.
The survivor who spoke to the ECHO came forward to police in 2017. He said he was speaking to his solicitor ahead of his release from prison when she asked “what has happened in your life that has made you go off the rails?”
“She opened up to me about her own history and what had happened in her life,” he said. “I felt I was ready so I told her. She made me promise I had to tell someone as soon as I was released.”
After he divulged what happened to him he “instantly felt like a massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders” and went to the police with his story. He has not been back in prison since.
He said he later shared what had happened to him with his family who learnt of the abuse for the first time. “Everyone in my family was horrified,” he said. “I have never blamed what happened or what I had done on them. They didn’t know. How could they? I never said anything.”
Despite the feeling of freedom after he came forward and shared his story, he said he also felt guilty. “I wonder if I had come forward at the time then some of the stuff would not have happened to other people,” he said.
The survivor wants his story to be an example to other abuse survivors to speak up and share their story. He said: “More people should come forward. I want people to know to speak up if they ever find themselves in this sort of position.
“There is no reason to be embarrassed. I have learnt that there is nothing to be scared or embarrassed about. It should not have happened to me. It was not my fault.”
Merseyside Police Detective Constable Claire McDonald said: “The predatory behaviour displayed by Finnigan [was] utterly appalling. His victims have shown immense courage and bravery to report the deplorable offences that Finnigan committed.
“Finnigan continued to deny the offences, which meant his victims had to endure a trial when they had to relive the horrific experiences. As you can imagine for victims of such an appalling crime, the impact on them is significant and long-lasting.”
After Finnigan’s conviction, a spokesperson for the Army Cadets said: “The cadet organisation has cooperated fully with Merseyside Police throughout the investigation and has clear safeguarding measures and procedures in place to ensure the protection and support of all cadets and adult volunteers, through security screening, rigorous disclosure checks and regular safeguarding training.”
The Army Cadets declined to comment when contacted by the ECHO for this story.
