Pervert former care home owner gets another 14 years for abuse of boys

John Allen, 78, and already serving a life sentence sentence for similar offences, was last month convicted of eight further charges against five boys between 1976 and 1992.

Today, at Mold Crown Court, Judge Rhys Rowlands gave Allen a further 14-and-a-half year sentence to run concurrently to the life sentence he is already serving.

It means that Allen's earliest release date from his life sentence, September 1, 2025, will be put back.

Allen, who ran several Bryn Alyn community children's homes based in the Wrexham area, previously denied all 16 charges of indecent assault, two of illegal sex acts and two of trying to carry out other illegal sex acts.

The jury found guilty him guilty of seven counts of indecent assault and one of a serious sexual offence against children who at the time had been placed in his care.

Depravity

In the latest sentencing, Judge Rowlands said that the two prison sentences Allen had previously received did not fully reflect the extent of his depravity or his sheer wickedness in taking advantage of vulnerable young victims.

It was "seriously depraved behaviour" where he had attempted to groom and sexually abuse youngsters in breach of a high degree of trust.

There was no contrition or remorse on his behalf, the judge said.

It was a testament to the victims' courage that they had come forward to give evidence and a testament to the investigation that he was now being held to account for his behaviour.

Despite not having any real qualifications, Allen had set up a business in North East Wales caring for youngsters.

It was seemingly financially successful with local authorities paying large fees and they expected those placed to be looked after "in a safe and caring environment".

"But for many youngsters it was quite the opposite," he said, adding that he had no doubt that Allen had recognised the victims' vulnerabilities and taken advantage of them.

The judge said that in one case of indecent assault the defendant encouraged two other men to take advantage of a youngster, the three of them acting together.

Judge Rowlands said that the present case extended his period of offending into the 1990s – which showed it continued after he left Bryn Alyn and set up a resettlement programme in London.

'I will never forget or forgive'

Victims told in impact statements how he had ruined their lives.

Now middle aged, they told how they were still suffering, had turned to alcohol and drugs to try to blot out what he did to them, and some had tried to kill themselves.

The prosecution said he had had control over their lives and "used them for his own sexual pleasure."

One victim told how Allen's sexual attacks had a life-time impact on him.

He was scared of the defendant at the time. Now he no longer feared him, but told how he would "never forget or forgive".

He was particularly vulnerable at the time and what Allen had done to him had a physical and emotional effect.

"Once he started to attack me, I tried to avoid him at all costs," he said in a victim impact statement read by prosecuting barrister Catherine Donnelly.

But that proved to be impossible.

"The only option to escape was to run away which I did on a number of occasions," he said.

He had been left feeling afraid and isolated, those feelings had continued and had affected him in later life.

The last ten years had been turbulent for him.

He felt he needed to reflect upon him life in order to move forwards.

The victim told how he would never fully recover from the abuse he suffered, which he said had severely affected his life and future.

Memories

Another victim told how what Allen had done to him had hung around his neck.

Within six months of leaving care he discovered drugs and found that heroin - which he was still taking 30 years later - made the memories of what Allen had done disappear for a while.

"My life did not turn out as I had hoped," he said.

He told how he wished he had stayed at home with his family "and taken the beatings" which was better than what Allen did to him.

A further victim, in a statement read to the court today, told how the damage inflicted by Allen had been chronic, he had turned to alcohol, and had tried to take his own life on two occasions.

But he now took the view that if he did end his life then "John Allen would have won".

The damage inflicted by John Allen was significant, he said.

Terrified

A fourth victim told how he had made several attempts on his life over the years - had cut himself on a number of occasions and had also tried to hang himself.

Allen made him feel dirty and the victim told how, as a child, he was terrified of him.

He felt he could not trust anyone and had no one to turn to - Allen was the owner who was in charge.

Allen had threatened that if he did not conform then he would be moved to a home further away from his family and that his treatment would only get worse.

"He should have been caring for me. His interest was his own sexual satisfaction and desires," he wrote.

The victim told how he had developed serious mental health problems which he said started when he was at The Bryn Alyn Community.

He had suffered many years of alcohol abuse which he used to escape from what John Allen had done to him. He also had suicidal thoughts.

The fifth victim told in his impact statement how he had spent much of the 80s in the care of John Allen.

He told how he was very much under his control from the outset.

Allen, he said, was a intimidating and controlling character who had a way of "making you feel reliant upon him."

He had become "totally reliant upon him"

The victim said: "I did not realise how much I was being manipulated by him. It took me a long time to realise that I was simply being used to fulfill his perverted desires."

He had his childhood and teenage years taken away from him, it had a profound effect upon him, and it had been a constant negative effect on his life.

Defending barrister Mark Barlow said that the convictions of the jury meant that he had been convicted of offences which were no more serious than those he had been convicted of in 2014.

He asked the judge to take totality into account and not to extend his sentence.

'I hope the victims can take some comfort'

National Crime Agency Senior Investigating Officer Philip Marshall said: “Allen used his position of trust to abuse boys who were young, vulnerable, and from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“He controlled and manipulated his victims, and rewarded them by giving cash and gifts that any young boy would want.

“The victims have been incredibly courageous coming forward to the NCA many years later and recounting the abuse they were subject to.

“Allen and others who committed crimes against defenceless children in North Wales care homes have been brought to justice, and I hope their victims can take some comfort in that.”

From 1968 until 1991, Allen operated various care homes for children in the Wrexham and London areas. The homes were collectively known as the Bryn Alyn Community, and were one of the UK’s largest providers of residential care for children.

Additional complaints

On 6 December 1993, Allen was arrested by North Wales Police regarding allegations of sexual abuse of children in care. He was convicted of six counts of indecent assault and sentenced to six years in January 1995.

After Allen’s conviction, North Wales Police began to receive additional complaints from previous residents.

Operation Pallial – the independent NCA investigation into allegations of past abuse in the care system in North Wales – began in November 2012 at the request of Mark Polin, who was the Chief Constable of North Wales Police at the time.

Thirteen people have been convicted under Operation Pallial. There is one further trial scheduled for later this month for Mark Granger, 69, from Leicester, who was charged with serious sexual offences.

Stepping Stones charity provides therapeutic services to adults who have been sexually abused as children across the region of North Wales. The charity can contacted on 01978 352717.