A sex abuse victim has bravely waived his right to anonymity to tell how he was targeted by predatory paedophiles as a child growing up in the island.

And Gerry Underwood, now 53 and living in Norfolk, has criticised UK police for their apparent failure to follow up his reporting of offences carried out on him by two men in the late 1970s.

Gerry told the Manx Independent: ’Like a lot of men I did not report the crime until many years later. This was due to feelings of guilt and shame.’

He first reported the offences to the island’s Constabulary five years ago but says after a short conversation they told him they would get in touch with him - but never did.

Gerry said he contacted the Manx force again six weeks ago. He was told to contact his local police in King’s Lynn.

He was interviewed at his home and went through the pain of going through exactly what had happened to him all those years ago.

Gerry said: ’At the end of the interview I was told that the details would be given to the Manx police and that they would be in touch. Again they have failed to contact me.

’I have had to live with what happened all my adult life and now it feels as though they are just not interested. I never wanted to leave the island but I had to go due to what happened. I was sexually abused in 1977-78 by two different men in the Isle of Man. There is a link between the two men and I know the name and address of one of them.

’There would have been other victims, as I have realised over the years that they were true predators.’

Gerry said he was first targeted by a friend’s father at a house near Onchan Park. There were also two incidents on a bus where he was assaulted by a man who got on at the Manx Arms in Onchan.

He said: ’I have complete recollection of what happened - that’s a bit of a curse.’

Gerry, who ended up working for Onchan Commissioners, said: ’Paedophiles very rarely work alone and the one that abused me at the park had a ready supply of victims.

’I am more than happy to waive my anonymity as this needs to be highlighted.’

A spokesman for the Manx police said: ’We are not going to comment on individual cases.

’We would support anyone coming forward who wished to report an allegation of sexual abuse.’

Gerry supplied us with the crime number he was given when he reported his allegations to police in King’s Lynn.

Chief Constable Gary Roberts has previously hailed an increase in reporting of historical sexual abuse case as it showed victims ’feel sufficiently confident to come forward and place their trust in us’.

There has been a number of recent high profile convictions for historical sexual abuse in the island - the most recent being the jailing of former St Ninian’s vicar Graham Gregory for offences against three young girls between 1975 and 1990.