A convicted murderer who was nearing release from a life sentence has now been found guilty of a string of historic sexual offenses after a journalist’s yearslong investigation encouraged four survivors to come forward. According to The Guardian, Gibraltar-based journalist Ros Astengo began investigating Allan Grimson while he was approaching the end of his minimum prison term for two murders committed in the late 1990s. Her reporting eventually led detectives back to allegations Grimson had admitted decades earlier but was never charged over.
On Monday, a jury at Winchester Crown Court found Grimson guilty of 13 sexual offenses involving four men. The verdict could keep him behind bars for years beyond his original life sentence. Grimson was jailed for life in 2001 after admitting to sexually abusing and murdering former Royal Navy sailors Nicholas Wright, 18, and Sion Jenkins, 20, in Portsmouth. He was ordered to serve at least 22 years before becoming eligible for parole.
During police interviews after the murders, Grimson also admitted to sexual offenses or sexual contact involving four other people. They included three young sailors and one teenage boy. However, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to pursue those allegations because he was already facing a lengthy sentence for the murders.
It really took one determined reporter to change everything
Astengo became involved while reporting on the disappearance of sailor Simon Parkes, who vanished in Gibraltar in 1986. Grimson has long been considered a suspect in that case. He denies any involvement, and Parkes’ remains have never been found. While researching the disappearance, Astengo said she was shocked to discover Grimson had admitted offenses against four other people that were never prosecuted.
She was especially concerned because the Parole Board recommended in November 2020 that he be moved to an open prison before his possible release. Astengo said she struggled with whether to pursue the story. She worried about the impact on survivors and about confronting a man convicted of extreme violence.
In the end, she decided public safety mattered more. She later tracked down one of the four men Grimson had identified in his original admissions and traveled to the UK to meet him. She found he was still angry and deeply hurt that he had never received justice.
The survivor agreed to file a fresh complaint with police. Astengo said officers initially took no action. She then contacted a panel that reviews allegations of non-recent child sexual offenses. The panel agreed the case deserved another look. Detectives interviewed the man and later found the other three survivors. Grimson was formally charged in February 2025.
During the month-long trial, Grimson’s lawyers argued it was unfair to prosecute allegations that authorities had chosen not to pursue about a quarter of a century earlier. They claimed the case was really an attempt to prevent his release and interfere with his parole.
His legal team also questioned Astengo’s motives. They pointed to a book she is writing about the Simon Parkes case and suggested she could profit from the publicity. Prosecutor John Price KC urged jurors to ignore what he described as conspiracy theories. He argued that responsible journalism had served the public interest.
Astengo said she paid her own travel costs and used personal leave throughout the investigation. She maintained that her only goal was to stop a serial offender from returning to the community. Judge Dugdale described Grimson as an extremely dangerous man during the 1990s and ordered psychological assessments before sentencing in November.
Published: Jul 28, 2026 08:00 am