The Ministry of Defence will pay nearly £2.5 million in compensation to seven victims of abuse that occurred over several decades within the 327 Air Training Corps in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire. The payments are to victims of Ronald Hardman, a former warrant officer who abused more than a dozen youngsters between the 1960s and the 1990s.
Hardman, now 81, has received three separate prison sentences totaling 22 years for crimes against 17 young boys. The compensation payments, secured by Digby Brown Solicitors, range from £150,000 to £750,000 per victim. The law firm stated that the scale of Hardman's abuse was unprecedented within the cadet force, describing him as the "Savile of the cadet force."
The abuse came to light in 2018 when Hardman was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for abusing three cadets between 1981 and 1995. During the trial at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, it was revealed that Hardman supplied alcohol and showed pornographic magazines to the cadets before assaulting them, often identifying his victims when they were being fitted for uniforms.
Following this initial conviction, a wider police investigation uncovered further allegations. In 2019, Hardman received a nine-year sentence after pleading guilty to 15 additional charges involving 12 boys, including lewd and libidinous behavior and indecent assault. These offenses occurred in various locations such as the squadron hall, a campsite, and Drumness Forest. One victim testified to being abused between 15 and 20 times, with the abuse spanning from 1960 to 1995.
A third conviction in 2025 resulted in an eight-year sentence for molesting two additional boys. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson acknowledged the "heinous and deeply shocking" nature of Hardman's crimes and expressed that their thoughts remain with the victims. The spokesperson also affirmed that the MoD has "robust safeguarding procedures in place to protect young people."