Stephen Ireland, aged 41, co-founded Pride in Surrey in 2018 and was its director until 2024. He was convicted of serious child sex offenses, including the rape of a 12-year-old boy he met on Grindr, at his flat in Addlestone, Surrey, on April 19, 2024. Ireland was sentenced to 30 years in prison with an additional six years on extended license at Guildford Crown Court in June 2025. His co-defendant, David Sutton, a 27-year-old volunteer for Pride in Surrey, was jailed for four-and-a-half years for offenses including making indecent photographs of children and possessing extreme pornographic images. Ireland was also found guilty of multiple counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault, voyeurism, and making indecent images. The court heard he exploited a vulnerable child, aware of the boy’s age, and attempted to cover up his crimes by deleting phone material.
Ireland was also linked to the controversial Educate and Celebrate charity, which faced criticism for encouraging young children to question their gender and for pushing gender-neutral terms in schools. The charity shut down in 2024 amid various controversies. Ireland and Sutton were charged with 37 offenses, including conspiracy to sexually assault and kidnap a child, with allegations spanning from 2022. Pride in Surrey condemned their actions and removed them from the organization upon learning of the charges.
This is Stephen Ireland – founder of Pride in Surrey.
He's just been jailed for raping an 'extremely vulnerable' boy he met on Grindr in 2024. He was also found guilty of possessing prohibited images of children.
He was sentenced to 13 years. pic.twitter.com/rmhtgW7KhE
— Peter Lloyd (@Suffragent_) June 30, 2025
Stephen Ireland, who targeted me with endless abuse on here because I oppose the chemical castration of children and the removal of protected spaces for women and girls, has just been sentenced to 30 years in jail for child rape. pic.twitter.com/0HHctRocB4
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 30, 2025
Stephen Ireland, the paedophile founder of @PrideInSurrey wrote to the Charity Commission in 2021, angry that @AllianceLGB had charitable status.
The child rapist called LGB Alliance "a very dangerous organisation".
Here is the letter & an archive link: https://t.co/ENBpcyIEFl pic.twitter.com/Un8tNe7r1x
— Gender Receipts (@GenderReceipts) July 4, 2025