Decades of Abuse at Skircoat Lodge Children's Home
A former manager of a children's home and his assistant sexually abused children under their care for more than twenty years.
Malcolm Phillips, aged 93, was found to have abused four girls and two boys at Skircoat Lodge in Halifax between 1976 and 1994.
Phillips was declared unfit to stand trial; however, a trial of facts took place at Bradford Crown Court concerning charges of rape, indecent assault, and indecency with a child.
Linda Brunning, 66, was convicted of indecent assault against one boy and of assisting Phillips in abusing another boy during the 1980s and 1990s. Brunning, who became emotional when informed she faced a "substantial" prison sentence, is scheduled for sentencing in April.
Phillips had been in charge of Skircoat Lodge since its opening in 1976. The trial revealed that "he let no-one challenge his authority." He resided at the home and had unrestricted access to all areas, including the children's bedrooms.
The jury heard that over nearly two decades, Phillips exploited his power to "isolate specific children to use for his sexual gratification."
Children were carefully selected as targets and were subjected to deprivation of food and pocket money, as well as threats that family visits would be withdrawn.
Often, children would run away after being abused but were returned to the home by police and labeled as troublemakers.
Brunning, a former care worker, was described as a "large, domineering woman who took pleasure in physically hurting and humiliating children."
The jury found that Brunning indecently assaulted a boy and also "facilitated the abuse by Malcolm Phillips upon a small, defenceless child."
The youngest victim was between nine and thirteen years old when Phillips sexually assaulted him, with Brunning assisting by restraining the child.
The prosecution stated the boy missed his mother, and Brunning exploited this vulnerability by telling him that his mother did not love him.
Kelly Lees, who waived her lifelong right to anonymity, was sexually abused by Phillips in the 1990s after being told to do her homework in his office.
She began skipping school, hoping to avoid homework and the abuse.
"I was a good child and I loved school but if you were well-behaved there, the more targeted you were," she said.
"If you started running off or skiving school or shoplifting, they were scared of us being picked up by the police and opening our mouths."
Chris Wild was sent to Skircoat Lodge at age 11 in the 1990s after his father passed away.
Although not a victim of sexual abuse, he described Skircoat as a "house of horrors" and has campaigned for further investigation.
"I had many friends in there who are not here anymore because they took their own lives," he said.
"There are young people whose lives were destroyed, adults who are suffering with mental health issues and there's never been a public apology."
Phillips, who turned 93 during the trial, had previously been convicted in 2001 of indecently assaulting eight girls at Skircoat Lodge during the 1970s and 1980s and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
The NSPCC investigated abuse allegations at Skircoat Lodge in 1994 and found that excessive force was used and children were deprived of food and sleep.
Following the jury's verdicts, an NSPCC spokesperson stated that Phillips and Brunning had conducted an "appalling campaign of abuse against children in their care, many of whom had suffered previous trauma."
It was added:
"The pair worked together to exploit these vulnerable young people and protect each other from police suspicion for almost two decades.
While Phillips targeted specific children and led the abuse, Brunning's complicity helped silence victims and ensure any young person who tried to seek help was not believed, meaning their crimes went undetected for many years."
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