Coventry Child Abusers Sentenced for 'Grotesque' Regime of Terror

COVENTRY CHILD ABUSERS SENTENCED FOR 'GROTESQUE' REGIME OF TERROR

UPDATE: Kenneth Owen, 71, has died in prison serving his sentence in 2016.

Two former children's home workers who operated a regime of terror have been sentenced to prison.

Kenneth Owen and Alan Todd, both aged 70, worked at Wisteria Lodge, a children's home overseen by Coventry City Council during the 1980s.

A jury at Warwick Crown Court was told how Todd had sexually assaulted two of the children under his care, and also taunted a vegetarian child with a dead rabbit.

Owen, along with Todd, engaged in verbal and physical abuse, including locking children in 'time out' rooms for hours.

Todd, a resident of Stretton-under-Fosse in Warwickshire, received a prison sentence of eight years and two months after being convicted of six counts of indecent assault and five charges of cruelty.

Owen, from Dickon Hill Road in Boston, Lincolnshire, was sentenced to four years and four months after being found guilty of five cruelty charges.

Judge Alan Parker described their actions as 'grotesque' and stated that what they did was 'beyond the depths of wickedness and depravity.' The article highlights the 'courage' of victims who spoke out and notes that a Coventry City Council spokesperson apologized to them.

Det Con Emma Tyler from West Midlands Police praised the victims' bravery and urged others to come forward.

The NSPCC expressed hope that these convictions would encourage other victims to seek justice, emphasizing that such acts will not be tolerated.