A FORMER scout leader has been charged with 26 indeceny offences involving boy scouts, dating back more than 20 years.

Kenneth Alan Fawcett, an Assistant County Commissioner for the Scout Fellowship, pleaded not guilty to five charges of indecent assault against a teenager when he appeared in court last year.

Now the 60-year-old has been charged with a further 21 indecency charges involving another five boys.

All the offences date back more than 20 years and many are alleged to have been committed at at Bowley scout camp, near Great Harwood, and at scout huts in West Craven, Blacko and Barnoldswick.

Other offences are alleged to have been committed in the changing rooms at Nelson swimming baths, as well as at his previous home in Conway Crescent, Barnoldswick.

He was a scout leader at the time of the alleged offences.

Fawcett denied the new charges, including 19 allegations of indecent assault on a male and two of indecency with a child, when he appeared at Burnley Crown Court on Monday.

All the offences are alleged to have taken place between 1974 and 1990.

The defendant, now of Fife Street, Barrowford, was due to face trial on the first set of allegations against him next Tuesday, February 28, but is now expected to be tried on all the charges against him at Preston Crown Court on July 31.

Fawcett was given bail by Judge Barbara Watson, on condition he does not contact any prosecution witnesses and does not have any unsupervised contact with children under 17.

The Scout Fellowship is a group of adults who support the scouting movement. It has several bases across East Lancashire, including Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale, Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and Bowley. Police say they believe Fawcett has resigned from his involvement with the movement.

A spokesman for the Scout Association said it was aware of the court proceedings involving Mr Fawcett and added: "The Scout Association has co-operated fully with the statutory agencies throughout their enquiries and action to suspend him from the movement was taken as soon as the allegations were reported.

"The Scout Association carries out stringent vetting of all adults who work with young people and requires them to work to a strict code of practice, outlined in the Young People First' Code of Practice."