Woman abused at children's home in Halifax as a teen now telling her story
The abuse happened at the hands of Malcolm Phillips who sexually abused girls and boys in his care during an 18 year "regime of fear" at Skircoat Lodge in Halifax in the 90s.
Karen Bentham was 14 when she became a resident of Skircoat Lodge children's home, after being abused in her own home.
Phillips, who is 93, faced a trial of facts at Bradford Crown Court and his former assistant Linda Brunning, 67, was found guilty of helping him.
Karen, who now lives in Northallerton said her abuse came from Phillips, and recalls the first time it happened.
She said: "I soon realised and learnt that I wasn't the only one who had the key for her room. The floor outside the flat is like a vinyl-plastic type of floor, so you can hear the foot steps, you can hear talking, you can hear which direction they're going in."
Karen, who waived her rights to anonymity said if she tried to run away, police would find her and bring her back.
Punishment often included embarrassment, Karen said: "There were times I got made to sit on the floor, and eat my dinner off the floor, with no knife and forks, just sat there in a corner. Infront of other children too, who were sat at a table."
Brunning of Sowerby Bridge, Calderdale, was found guilty of one count of indecent assault on a male person, two counts of aiding and abetting indecent assault and two counts of aiding and abetting buggery.
Phillips, of Tyseley, Birmingham, was also charged with one count of indecent assault on a male person, two counts of aiding and abetting indecent assault and two of aiding and abetting buggery but was deemed unfit to stand trial and so faced a trial of facts. The Judge is still to make orders in respect of Philips.
As Phillips was deemed unfit for trial, he could only be tried in absentia on what is known as ‘agreed facts’. In a trial of agreed facts there are only a limited number of orders available to a Judge. There can be no verdict of guilty, and the court cannot pass sentence.
Karen will be giving a victim impact statement in court, refencing the number of days (13,116) since the day she first went into Skircoat Lodge, to the day Brunning was found guilty.
She also got a tattoo of the figure, with the phrase 'But I Survived'.