A man abused by his father has revealed how the sickening crimes were hidden in plain sight – fooling a community into thinking he was the “perfect dad”.

People used to think highly of Carl Jones and trusted him, knowing him to be someone happy to offer a favour and help out when needed. But underneath this well-polished exterior lay a depraved sexual predator who left a trail of traumatised victims after his two-decade reign of abuse.

His home, which contained a massive TV, games consoles, pool tables and a slot machine, was a “carefully manufactured magnet” for children. Once reeled in by the bright lights and exciting colours, Jones revealed his true nature and abused the youngsters in some of the worst ways imaginable.

Eleven adults count themselves among Jones’ victims, including a man who looked to him to care and protect him. Niall Johnson, Jones’ son, was routinely and systematically abused by his own father. Niall, now 27, appeared in court this week to face his father as he was handed a life sentence, 20 years after his vile crimes began.

The speech, which was given in front of a packed courtroom, has been noted as one of the most courageous and remarkable displays seen in court in recent years. He looked over at his dad, who, others noticed, kept his gaze away from his offspring, as Niall detailed the graphic account and recounted ‘multiple’ suicide attempts, psychological torment, and helplessness. It is possible to report all of this after Niall bravely waived his automatic right to anonymity and gave an in depth interview to the Manchester Evening News.

He has a family of his own, is engaged to be married and is a dad. Niall wants his story of bravery to be told to help other victims of abuse, to assist in stopping perpetrators and to tackle abuse. It is a reality which, although years in the past, is still graphically vivid for Niall. His parents split when he was just four, with him staying with his mum during the week and his dad during the weekend. The abuse, which would involve Jones sexually assaulting his son, continued for years until he was 12.

“From what I remember there was a lot of sexual acts going on, mainly him to me,” Niall recalled. “There’s a lot of vivid memories of being in the bed, having clothes on, waking up unclothed. It would just be the same routine every weekend. Going there, it might happen once, it might happen twice, or it might not happen at all. It was very hit and miss, you wouldn’t know what you were walking into.

“When I got to about seven, alcohol was introduced. He always said ‘if you drink now, you won’t be bothered when you’re 18’. I don’t know if that was the case, or if it was to get you drunk so you didn’t remember or didn’t realise what he was doing. There were only five vivid images in my head, that I replay, from five occasions. But when we counted I knew it happened every weekend, it’s just you have a mental block. That’s what I reported to the police, I said ‘I can only tell you about five, but it happened near enough every weekend, between the ages of five and the age of 12.”

Niall says his mother had no knowledge of what was happening when she packed her son off to his father for the weekend. He said: “She had no idea until about three years ago when I told her. Nobody really knew. That’s what has made it the hardest. It is your dad, and you have that emotional connection of, that’s your idol. Take the sexual abuse aside, you would have seen him as, and a lot of society did see him as the perfect dad. The perfect, functional person.

“He was loved. He was absolutely loved by everybody. Whether that was a façade, or whether that’s who he is. Everybody loved him, he was the person that you could rely on, the person who was always there for you, the person who would always listen, he would help you out at any given moment. He worked in management, he worked in manufacturing and production and was a manager. He was really well respected there as well, in a position of power and trust.”

The day after that first report, Niall went to the police. The first indications were that Jones would contest the allegations. He denied any abuse of Niall. Later he pleaded guilty to some offences in court, but held out on others. But at the 11th hour, as he was set to go on trial, he changed his plea to guilty on all charges.

In total, Jones admitted abusing 11 boys including Niall. In total Jones pleaded guilty to 47 offences, including multiple counts of rape of a child, sexual assault of a child, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, and indecent assault.

It was Friday, January 31 that justice would finally be done. Court five in Minshull Street Crown Court was packed with Jones’ victims and their loved ones, offering each other support on a momentous day.

After his dad’s barrister gave his speech in mitigation, it fell to the judge to tell Jones that he was receiving a life sentence. Under the terms of the punishment, Jones must serve at least 25-and-a-half years in prison before he can even be considered for release.

How to get help: If you are struggling or you are worried about a loved one, you can call Samaritans free at any time, from any phone, on 116 123 or email [email protected].

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