Children's Home Manager Abused Vulnerable Boys and Girls in 18-Year 'Regime of Fear'
A children's home manager sexually abused vulnerable boys and girls in his care during an 18-year "regime of fear," a court has determined. Malcolm Phillips exploited his position to commit sexual offences against four girls and two boys at Skircoat Lodge Care Home in Halifax, West Yorkshire, between 1976 and 1994.
Unfettered Access to Victims
The jury found that Phillips used the children "for his own sexual gratification" while maintaining complete control over the facility. Now 93 years old, Phillips was deemed unfit to stand trial, leading to a trial-of-facts at Bradford Crown Court to establish whether he committed the alleged acts.
Such proceedings cannot deliver a guilty verdict, but his assistant, Linda Brunning, has been convicted of indecent assault and aiding and abetting Phillips in his crimes. The court heard that Phillips and Brunning ran Skircoat Lodge "more like a prison," according to a former staff member.
Systematic Manipulation and Isolation
Prosecutor Michelle Colborne KC revealed that the pair carefully selected their victims by reviewing children's files to identify those most vulnerable to manipulation. "They told them no-one cared about them, they told them no-one would believe them," Ms Colborne stated.
Phillips lived in a flat connected to the girls' bedrooms, granting him "unfettered access" to his victims. For nearly two decades, abuse at the home continued "unreported against a backdrop of legitimacy," the court was told.
Brunning's Role in the Abuse
Ms Colborne described Brunning as "a large and domineering woman who took pleasure in physically hurting and humiliating children." The prosecutor added, "At times she would perform sexual assaults on them, at her worst she facilitated the abuse by Malcolm Phillips upon a small defenceless child."
Brunning was found guilty of restraining one boy while Phillips sexually assaulted him and indecently assaulting another boy herself after a shower. She denied having a sexual interest in children and claimed she felt "sick" when informed of the allegations.
End of the 'Regime of Fear'
The "regime of fear" only ended when Phillips was suspended in 1994 following an investigation. Skircoat Lodge closed two years later. Phillips was subsequently jailed in 2001 for sexual offences against eight female residents.
In a 2019 police statement, Phillips branded his victims liars and asserted he was the victim of a media campaign to discredit him. However, the jury found he had committed multiple offences, including:
- Three counts of indecent assault
- Two counts of indecency with a child
- Three counts of indecent assault on a male person
- Two counts of buggery
- Two counts of rape
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Brunning, of Sowerby Bridge near Halifax, was found guilty of two counts of aiding and abetting indecent assault, two counts of aiding and abetting buggery, and one count of indecent assault. She sobbed and put her head in her hands as the verdicts were read.
She has been remanded into custody until April 27, when Judge Kirstie Watson indicated she would "inevitably" receive a jail sentence. A medical report will be prepared for Phillips, though police noted "only a limited number of orders available to a judge" in a trial-of-facts, such as committal to hospital, a supervision order, or an absolute discharge.
