Birmingham Children's Home Manager Exploited Vulnerable Kids Over Two Decades
A children's home manager from Birmingham exploited his position of power to sexually abuse boys and girls under his care for almost twenty years, a jury has determined. Malcolm Phillips, now aged 93, used his "unfettered access" to vulnerable youngsters at Skircoat Lodge Care Home in Halifax, West Yorkshire, for his own sexual gratification during an 18-year reign of terror.
Trial-of-Facts Reveals Horrific Abuse Details
At Bradford Crown Court, jurors found that Phillips had committed sexual offences against six victims – four females and two males – between 1976 and 1994. Since Phillips was deemed unfit to stand trial, a trial-of-facts was conducted where jurors assessed whether he had committed the alleged acts.
His assistant, Linda Brunning, 66, was found guilty of restraining one boy while Phillips sexually assaulted him and indecently assaulting another boy herself after drying him following a shower. Brunning, described as someone who "took pleasure in physically hurting and humiliating children," sobbed with her head in her hands as the verdicts were delivered.
Systematic Manipulation and Control
Prosecutor Michelle Colborne KC revealed that Phillips controlled Skircoat Lodge completely, living in a flat that connected directly to the girls' bedrooms, granting him constant, unsupervised access. "During the course of almost two decades, Malcolm Phillips used his power to isolate specific children to use for his sexual gratification, and he wasn't the only one," she told the court.
Brunning, who worked alongside Phillips for sixteen years, was also "adept at isolating and manipulating children." Colborne characterized her as "a large and domineering woman who took pleasure in physically hurting and humiliating children." The defendants carefully selected their victims, using access to the children's files to identify those most susceptible to manipulation.
Victims' Harrowing Experiences
The court heard distressing accounts from the victims. One female complainant, sent to the home as a teenager in the late 1970s, recalled that girls were instructed to wear nighties to bed. She described Phillips entering her bedroom at night and touching her under her nightie. When she attempted to escape by running away, police consistently returned her to the home, where staff labeled her "an accomplished liar."
Another victim, just ten years old at the time, reported being sexually assaulted by Phillips on at least ten separate occasions while in bed. Phillips had "taken her under his wing" and referred to her as one of his "special girls." A 14-year-old boy was indecently assaulted by both Phillips and Brunning while being dried after a shower on multiple occasions.
Brunning was convicted of restraining a boy aged between nine and thirteen while Phillips sexually assaulted him in the bathroom repeatedly. This boy also tried to flee due to the abuse but was always brought back and punished by being dunked in a bath of cold water.
Phillips was found to have raped a teenage girl twice, leaving her traumatized that she had been violated in a place meant to provide safety. He also indecently assaulted an 11 to 12-year-old girl on at least three occasions after inviting her into his office under the guise of doing homework, giving her a lollipop afterward.
Previous Conviction and Denials
This was not Phillips' first prosecution for abuse at Skircoat Lodge; he was previously jailed in 2001 for sexual offences against eight female residents. Abuse at the home persisted "unfettered and unreported against a backdrop of legitimacy" for nearly two decades, according to prosecutors.
In a 2019 police statement, Phillips dismissed the victims as liars and claimed he was the target of a media campaign to discredit him. Brunning, during the trial, denied having any sexual interest in children and expressed feeling "sick" when informed of the allegations against her.
Legal Outcomes and Sentencing
The jury determined that Phillips, residing in Tyseley, Birmingham, 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, and two counts of rape.
Brunning, from 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 has been remanded in custody pending sentencing on April 27, with Judge Kirstie Watson indicating she will "inevitably" receive a prison sentence.
A medical report will be prepared for Phillips, and the judge may consider alternatives to sentencing such as committal to hospital, a supervision order, or an absolute discharge, given his unfit status for trial.
