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Decades of Abuse: Children's Home Manager Convicted
23 Feb
Summary
- Manager abused children for nearly two decades at Skircoat Lodge.
- Assistant Brunning aided abuse and assaulted one boy.
- Phillips previously convicted in 2001 for similar offenses.
Malcolm Phillips, 93, formerly managed Skircoat Lodge, a children's home in Halifax, where he committed sexual abuse against multiple children between 1976 and 1994. A jury found him guilty of rape, indecent assault, and indecency with a child, though he was deemed unfit to stand trial, leading to a trial of facts. Phillips held absolute authority at the home, with "unfettered access" to all areas.
His assistant, Linda Brunning, 66, was convicted of indecent assault against one boy and for assisting Phillips in abusing another. Brunning is awaiting sentencing, facing a "substantial" jail term. The prosecution highlighted how Brunning exploited a child's vulnerability, telling him his mother did not love him.
