The Ministry of Defence will pay nearly £2.5 million to seven victims of a former air cadet leader who abused youngsters over several decades. Ronald Hardman, a former warrant officer with the 327 Air Training Corps in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, abused more than a dozen boys between the 1960s and 1990s.
Hardman, now 81, has been sentenced to a total of 22 years in prison for his crimes against 17 boys. The compensation payments awarded to the seven victims will range from £150,000 to £750,000. Richard Pitts, a partner at Digby Brown Solicitors, the law firm representing the victims, stated that the scale of Hardman's abuse was unprecedented within the cadet force, describing him as "the Savile of the cadet force."
Pitts added that the evidence indicated Hardman used his trusted position to target, groom, and attack the cadets. Hardman's crimes first came to light in 2018 when he was jailed for five years after being convicted of abusing three cadets between 1981 and 1995. During that trial, Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard that Hardman provided alcohol to the youths and showed them pornography before abusing them.
Following the 2018 conviction, a significant police investigation uncovered further allegations. This investigation reportedly involved interviewing hundreds of individuals. In 2019, Hardman received a nine-year sentence after admitting to 15 additional charges involving lewd and libidinous behavior and indecent assault against 12 boys. These attacks, which occurred in locations including the squadron hall, a campsite, and Drumness Forest, were described by Lord Beckett as "pre-meditated" and "grossly corrupting."
In 2025, Hardman was convicted for a third time for molesting two other boys and received an eight-year prison sentence. Pitts emphasized that the passage of time should not prevent abusers from being brought to justice and encouraged anyone yet to come forward to do so while Hardman can still be questioned and civil actions pursued.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson acknowledged the "heinous and deeply shocking" nature of Hardman's crimes and expressed sympathy for the victims. The spokesperson also stated that the MoD has implemented robust safeguarding procedures to protect young people, including mandatory background checks, strict disclosure requirements, and regular safeguarding training for all adults working with children.