Care worker who helped boss with child abuse jailed for 25 years

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Care worker who helped boss with child abuse jailed for 25 yearsJust now Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleEmma GlasbeyYorkshire home and social affairs correspondentBBCMalcolm Phillips was found unfit to stand trial due to old age and ill-healthA former children's home manager and "master manipulator" who abused youngsters in his care has been told he will not go to prison - as his female assistant was jailed for 25 years for helping his attacks. Malcolm Phillips, 93, "cultivated a culture of fear" at Skircoat Lodge in Halifax, committing sexual and physical offences against four girls and two boys between 1976 and 1994. Phillips, who was deemed unfit to face a criminal trial, was given an absolute discharge by the judge at Bradford Crown Court, who said she was "bound by the statutory framework".

Linda Brunning, 67, was found guilty of indecently assaulting a boy and helping Phillips sexually abuse another boy in the 1980s and 90s. Phillips had faced charges of rape, indecent assault and indecency with a child, but was deemed unfit to face a criminal trial so faced what is known as a trial of facts. Unlike a normal case, in a trial of facts a jury cannot find the person guilty - instead it determines if they committed the alleged offences.

The Details

Although they cannot be convicted, they can be acquitted. The trial concluded in January and a jury found Philips, now living in Birmingham, had carried out the offences. He watched the hearing earlier on video link from his home.

As well as an absolute discharge, he was also given a sexual harm prevention order. If you are affected by any of the issues in this story, help and support is available at Action Line. West Yorkshire PoliceLinda Brunning worked as Malcolm Phillips' assistant at Skircoat Lodge Summing up, Judge Kirstie Watson told Phillips that together with Brunning, he committed "vile abuse" against children.

She called him a "master manipulator" who "set the tone" at the home. "You were the dominant force and cultivated a culture of fear among the young and extremely vulnerable children in your care," she said. Live: Reaction to sentencing of Malcolm Phillips and Linda Brunning at Bradford Crown CourtDuring the trial, the jury was told Phillips - who had been in charge of Skircoat Lodge when it opened in 1976 - "used his power over two decades to isolate children for his sexual gratification".

What Experts Say

Brunning, of Sowerby Bridge, Calderdale, worked as his assistant and was described as "a large, domineering woman who took pleasure in humiliating and hurting children". She denied all the charges against her but her defence counsel said she now "respects those verdicts". Kitty Colley, representing Brunning, had told the hearing her client was of "good character".

She told the court Brunning went on to work with vulnerable adults after she was taken out of Skircoat Lodge in 1994 when Phillips was investigated, with no complaints about her behaviour in that role.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.