Two men convicted of cruelty at notorious Coventry children's home - and another guilty of indecently assaulting boyTWO men have been convicted of cruelty towards youngsters at a notorious children’s home in Coventry – and another man has been found guilty of indecently assaulting a boy from the home.
The offences all took place at the now-closed Wisteria Lodge children’s home in Earlsdon in the 1980s and 90s.
Between them, seven men, Alan Todd, Russell Garner, Ivan McChleery, Philip Barnett, Patrick Duignan, David Saunders and David Fox had faced 22 charges of cruelty to children at the home.
Following a seven-week trial at Warwick Crown Court, Todd (73, pictured above) previously of Stretton-under-Fosse, near Rugby, but who is already serving a sentence for sexually abusing other children at the home, was convicted of two charges of cruelty towards one boy.
The jury, who were deliberating for a total of more than 22 hours over the course of four days in November, found Garner (59) of Orchard Street, Bedworth, guilty of two cruelty charges.
McChleery (77) of Greens Road, Coventry, was found not guilty of three charges of cruelty towards two girls at the home. But at a trial in September, which could not be reported until now, he was found guilty of indecently assaulting a boy from Wisteria Lodge after taking him to his smallholding.
Of the others in the dock, former Wisteria Lodge manager Phillip Barnett (65) of Huntington Crescent, Coventry, was found not guilty of three cruelty charges and of one of assault.
But the jury was unable to reach verdicts on a second assault charge against him, or on a further cruelty charge faced by Todd and one faced by Garner.
The case, which could not be reported at the time, was adjourned for the prosecution to consider whether to ask for a retrial of those matters – and after several weeks it has now been decided they will not face a further trial.
So Todd and McChleery, who have been remanded in custody, and Garner, who has been on bail, will finally be sentenced later this month at Wolverhampton Crown Court where Judge Barry Berlin, who heard the two trials, is now sitting.
Of the other defendants, Patrick Duignan (60) of The Riddings, Canley, Coventry, who faced four cruelty charges, and David Saunders (65) of Sibton Close, Bell Green, who faced one charge, were found not guilty.
And earlier in the trial David Fox (75) of Abbey Road, Boston, Lincs, who was accused of cruelty towards a girl by using excessive force in restraining her, was found not guilty on the judge’s directions.