Tuesday, December 15, 1998 Published at 15:45 GMT
Barnardo's carer jailed
Phillip Dunne: Abused those who sought protection
A former worker at a Barnardo's home in North Yorkshire who "wickedly" abused the children in his care has been jailed for 11 years.
As he was led from the court, some of Dunne's victims and their families shouted abuse. A spokesman for the children's charity said it had been "devastated" by the case.
Dunne, aged 52, of Worcester, was arrested in June this year after one of the former residents of the Spring Hill Barnardo's Home, Ripon, North Yorkshire, which cared for children with behavioural and learning difficulties, made a complaint to the police.
A further eight charges were left to lie on file.
Prosecuting, James Spencer QC told the court that Dunne's abuse had begun almost immediately after he joined the home in 1967.
He had sought to establish control "by violence or by emotional grooming," Mr Spencer said.
"He sought to be able to engage these children in sexuality activity when he liked and without any repercussions for himself.
"In that he was successful, at least during his time there."
For Dunne, Nigel Sangster QC said his client had himself been a victim of sexual abuse as a child.
It had only been when he married in the 1970s that he "realised the error of his behaviour" and had gone on to lead a productive life, said Mr Sangster.
"He is aware that what he did was appalling and he feels full of remorse," he added.
Billhar Singh Uppal, solicitor for the victims, said that they would be launching a compensation action.
"For the majority of them this has been a terrible time," he said.
"Victims did not come forward earlier because there is an innate sense of shame, of guilt, of having brought this upon themselves."
John Tebbet, Barnardo's director of communication services, said: "Our hearts go out to each and every person who has suffered."
He said the charity had worked closely with police to bring Dunne to justice and had introduced new measures to prevent such abuse happening again.