British paedophile was at Bengaluru orphanage in 2013, but `luckily` no child was harmed

Bengaluru: Richard Huckle, a British paedophile who has been convicted for sexually abusing children in orphanages while posing as an English teacher, had come calling at an orphanage in Bengaluru three years ago, a report said on Wednesday.

According to The New Hope for Children Orphanage, Huckle visited the facility in 2013 but was not ‘allowed’ to be around children.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the orphanage said no child was harmed while Huckle was at the facility.

The orphanage was 'shocked' to find out that the UK national was accused of sexually assaulting children in Southeast Asia, The Deccan Chronicle reported.

“Several years ago, Huckle briefly visited New Hope for Children Orphanages, where he created a video about the work of Pastor George (executive director of ‘Helping Hands’, a Bengaluru-based non-profit organisation). Praise God that Huckle was at no time allowed to be around any of the children in India without supervision. Pastor George assures us that none of the children in India could have been harmed,” the statement stated.

Huckle, who hails from Ashford, Kent, was arrested in Australia while the police there was probing a child abuse case.