Double murderer jailed for further 22 years

A man serving a life sentence for the murder of two young men has been jailed for a further 22 years for sexually assaulting three young naval recruits and a 14-year-old boy in the 1990s.

Allan Grimson, a former Royal Navy petty officer, was sentenced in 2001 for the murders of Nicholas Wright and Sion Jenkins in the late 1990s.

The 67-year-old, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, was convicted following a trial in July of the rape and indecent assault of a teenage naval rating, and indecent assault charges against three other males, dating between February 1994 and November 1999.

Judge Paul Dugdale told Grimson he remained a "significant risk to members of the general public of serious harm".

Grimson was also convicted at the trial at Winchester Crown Court of taking indecent photos of the child victim.

The court heard the double murderer told police a sailor, whom he is now convicted of sexually assaulting, was "lucky to be alive", and added: "If you're going to rape somebody, to get away with it, kill it."

Sentencing Grimson, who smirked as he awaited sentence for the 13 offences, the judge said: "It won't surprise anyone to know I have made a finding of dangerousness."

He added: "I base this assessment upon the two previous convictions for murder and the similarity between these matters and the current offences.

"I find there was a link in your psychology between sexual assaults and an urge to inflict serious violence.

"This was clearly evident in the late 1990s and its consequences so extreme that you will always pose such an underlying risk to the public.

"It's difficult to envisage anyone who would not assess you as dangerous having heard the comments you made in the interviews in 2000 and what nearly happened to these men.

"It's extremely difficult for any court to take the risk you no longer pose a danger to the public given the clear comments you made and past offending."

He said Grimson would not be released on life licence "until the parole board consider it safe for you to do so and if they do not do so, you will remain in custody for life".

The judge explained that Grimson would not eligible for parole until he had served 13 years of the sentence, which would be three months before his 80th birthday.

Grimson was branded a "serial killer in nature if not by number" by a judge when he was jailed for life more than 25 years ago, having told police that killing was "better than sex".

The non-commissioned officer had pleaded guilty to killing naval rating Wright, 18, from Leicester, and barman Jenkins, 20, from Newbury, Berkshire.

The bodies of the two victims were discovered four miles (6.44km) apart at the side of country lanes north of Winchester in December 1999.

The court heard how Grimson told police he "punched the air with triumph and gave out a roar" after bludgeoning Wright to death with a baseball bat.

Grimson had been eligible for parole from 2023 and had been transferred to a category C prison but was moved back to a category B prison after he was charged with the new offences.

One victim abused by Grimson in 1998, in a victim impact statement, called him a "killer, abuser of young boys, someone who demonstrated a pattern of extreme violence and predatory behaviour".

"His crimes were not impulsive or isolated," he said. "They were deliberate, repeated, and targeted."

Another complainant, who was the victim of rape and five charges of indecent assault dating back to 1999 when he was aged 16 or 17, said: "I live with anxiety, distress, anger, sadness, confusion, and guilt.

"I often pretend that I am coping when I am not. To those around me, I may appear to be functioning normally, but the reality is very different."

A third victim, who was indecently assaulted in 1994 and believes he was drugged, said: "I have never felt able to tell my parents what happened.

"Carrying this secret for three decades has been emotionally exhausting."

He added: "The loss of trust, the damage to my relationships, the feelings of shame, and the unanswered questions have stayed with me for over 30 years."

John Femi-Ola KC, defending, said the court was sentencing a "67-year-old man rather than the person who committed these crimes over 30 years ago".

He said Grimson had been able to "manage his sexual needs appropriately" and "demonstrated good pro-social behaviour, good self-control and good problem-solving skills".

John Price KC, prosecuting, told the jury in the latest case that Grimson had met the complainants, apart from the 14-year-old, when they had been young naval recruits at the Royal Navy Firefighting School on Horsea Island, Portsmouth, where he was an instructor.

Following the latest conviction, the mother of naval rating Simon Parkes, from Bristol, urged Grimson to "tell us what happened" to him.

The 18-year-old was last seen in 1986 when HMS Illustrious, which he served on along with Grimson, docked in Gibraltar.

Grimson has always denied being involved, and the force closed its probe in December 2025.

Following the sentencing Det Insp Martin Longyear of Hampshire Police said some officers had returned from retirement to see the investigation through to the end.

He described Grimson as a "depraved and dangerous individual" who he hoped would "remain behind bars for a long time to come".

"I would like to acknowledge the victims for their bravery in coming forward, and I hope that today will help them find some form of closure to be able to move forward, knowing Allan Grimson will be punished for the suffering he has caused them," he said.