Prosecutor believes convicted Oakdale sex abuser had more victims

A prosecutor believes Paul Birmingham sexually abused other boys, but he was convicted of sexually abusing only one boy over a five-year period that started when the child was 13.

“If they are not able, ready or interested in disclosing what happened to them, I hope they are finding some solace in knowing that Birmingham has finally been discovered, sentenced and branded as the predator that he is,” said Stanislaus County Chief Deputy District Attorney Annette Rees.

In December, the 56-year-old Oakdale man pleaded no contest to continuous sexual abuse of the boy after agreeing to a plea deal with prosecutors. The defendant on Jan. 7 was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped charges of sending harmful materials to seduce a minor, oral copulation and sexual penetration with force.

Thursday, Birmingham was serving his sentence at San Quentin State Prison. He will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he is eligible for parole. Once released from prison, Birmingham will have to serve five years of parole.

Birmingham, a former Boy Scout leader, befriended boys from February 2008 through February 2012, including the victim’s older brother. After the older brother died in a motorcycle crash, Birmingham began “grooming” his younger brother by giving the boy alcohol and pornography, then sexually abusing him, Rees said.

The victim’s mother said she now realizes her older deceased son exhibited signs of sexual abuse by Birmingham. She said she feels physically ill at times from the sorrow and stress caused by a man who was once considered a trusted family friend her kids called “uncle.”

During Birmingham’s sentencing hearing, Rees read in court a victim impact statement from the mother.

“You took that trust and manipulated it for your own perverted sexual desires,” the mother said in her statement, directed at the defendant. “You used a child’s trust mixed with alcohol and manipulation to take the innocence from my child. You exposed my child to things that he should never have to comprehend at this age. You, Paul, are a pedophile and a predator.”

The boy first spoke to detectives about the sexual abuse in late July 2013, sheriff’s officials have said. Authorities say Birmingham started molesting the boy when he was 13, according to a filed criminal complaint.

Investigators released information about Birmingham’s time with the Boy Scouts “in case he had any additional inappropriate contact with any juveniles.” Area Boy Scouts of America officials have said Birmingham had not been involved with the organization since about 2004.

Prosecutors say the sexual misconduct with the victim occurred from Feb. 24, 2008, to July 29, 2013. There is no indication Birmingham met the boy while volunteering with the Boy Scouts, and only one accuser has come forward.

This story was originally published February 12, 2015 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Prosecutor believes convicted Oakdale sex abuser had more victims."