Disgraced Paper Lace musician, 73, to 'die in jail' after grooming boy

Disgraced Paper Lace guitarist, 73, to ‘die in jail’ after admitting using alcohol and Chinese takeaways to groom boy and sexually abuse him

• Paper Lace former bass player John Chambers, 73, admitted abusing a boy 
• Today, he was jailed for ten and a half years at Nottingham Crown Court

Paper Lace former bass guitarist John Chambers will probably die ‘a lonely man in prison’ a court heard – after he confessed to sexually abusing a young boy during the heyday of his fame.

Chambers, 73, has fallen spectacularly from grace since his days with the pop chart-topper in the 1980s after news of his historic abuse came to light.

At Nottingham Crown Court today, Chambers was jailed for ten and a half years, The Nottingham Post reports.

Chambers pleaded guilty to eight counts of indecent assault after the victim, now an adult, reported he’d been groomed with alcohol and Chinese takeaways years earlier.

The underage youth was told that it was ‘good clean fun’ by Chambers in a sinister motto while he carried out his foul actions.

John Chambers (pictured outside court) joined Paper Lace as bass player in 1983, nearly a decade after they enjoyed an international number one hit with Billy Don’t Be a Hero in 1974

Today at Nottingham Crown Court, Chambers was jailed four ten and a half years after he admitted eight counts of abusing the boy

Prosecutor Liz Muir said: ‘[Chambers] used his connection with Paper Lace to seduce [his victim]’, who was described as ‘starstruck’.

She said the victim ‘was given alcohol and Chinese takeaways – all things he would never have in his home environment’.

The victim described lying down and feeling ‘like a brick’ as the abuse took place.

Afterwards, he confusedly asked Chambers if the actions ‘made him gay’ which the perpetrator laughed off.

In a heart-wrenching victim impact statement, the boy said he felt tormented by what took place and unable to escape his own thoughts.

He said the abuse had ‘ruined’ his life.

The victim also suffered abuse at the hands of Chamber’s ex-boyfriend and former Paper Lace roadie Andrew Polkey. 

The prosecution revealed that the boy was taken to Polkey’s apartment where he was plied with cannabis and further abused.

Polkey has admitted 17 counts of indecent assault. He was jailed for 13 years and his licence upon release was extended for two years on charges relating to one victim, as the judge considered Polkey to be dangerous.

A third man, Matthew Mardell, 46, admitted two indecent assaults on one of the same boys as Polkey. He received 20 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Chambers joined Paper Lace as bass player in 1983, nearly a decade after they enjoyed an international number one hit with Billy Don’t Be a Hero in 1974. 

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