MAURICE BERRY SENTENCED FOR ABUSE AT SCARBOROUGH CHILDREN'S HOME NEAR NORTH SOMERCOTES

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community, Maurice Berry, aged 64, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison following his conviction for the systematic sexual abuse and multiple rapes of children at the former May Lodge Children’s Home located on Filey Road in Scarborough. The sentencing took place at York Crown Court after a comprehensive week-long trial that revealed harrowing testimonies from victims who endured Berry’s predatory behavior during the 1970s.

Berry’s crimes included the assault of a teenage girl, who has chosen to remain unnamed, after he engaged in a calculated grooming campaign. During this period, Berry showered her with compliments and falsely presented himself as her boyfriend, manipulating her into trusting him. His abuse extended further as he sexually assaulted two younger girls, often sneaking into their rooms during the night or luring them into his own sleeping quarters within the Victorian-era care home. These acts of abuse spanned approximately a year, during which Berry exploited his position of authority and trust.

At the time of the offenses, Berry was employed as a deputy officer-in-charge at May Lodge. His role involved overseeing the children’s care, but it was also during this period that he engaged in these heinous acts. The case gained further attention because Berry, who has since been working as a chartered surveyor, was not the only individual linked to the abuse at May Lodge. In May, another former care worker, Raymond Vasey, aged 72 and from Darlington, was sentenced to 17 years for his own crimes of raping and sexually abusing young girls at the same facility during the 1970s. Vasey, who was also a live-in care worker in his twenties, preyed on at least three young girls, including a girl as young as six years old.

During Vasey’s trial, victims described a sinister environment at May Lodge, which was characterized by a culture of strict discipline and unaccountable authority. The atmosphere was described as oppressive, with one victim recalling the home as a place where “unexplained” and “sinister” activities took place. Berry’s own admission painted a picture of a strict disciplinarian, often prowling the corridors “like the Gestapo,” and on one occasion, ordering a girl to sleep on the laundry room floor as a form of punishment.

The investigation into Berry’s crimes was initiated after multiple victims, now adults, came forward to police in 2017. He was subsequently arrested at his residence in Lincolnshire, specifically at The Common, Warrenside, North Somercotes. The charges against him included 18 counts, comprising 13 counts of indecent assault, three counts of indecency with a child, and two counts of rape, all committed over roughly a year in the 1970s. Berry denied all allegations throughout the proceedings.

Prosecutor Dan Cordey detailed the disturbing nature of Berry’s abuse, recounting that one victim was only seven or eight years old when Berry, who was deputy officer-in-charge, began entering her room under the guise of reading her a bedtime story before sexually assaulting her. The prosecutor emphasized that the two instances where Berry engaged in full sexual intercourse with the teenage girl constituted rapes, as consent was clearly absent. He further explained that Berry would manipulate the girls by claiming they were his girlfriends, and when they refused to engage in sexual acts, he would mock and belittle them.

During the trial, Berry’s defense lawyer, Edmund Gritt, argued that his client was no longer a threat to children and had not worked with minors since the age of 23. Despite this, the jury found Berry guilty of all but one of the 18 charges, including the rape of the teenage girl. Berry showed no visible emotion as Judge Sean Morris sentenced him to 13 years in prison. Additionally, Berry was ordered to register as a sex offender for life, reflecting the severity of his crimes.

In a related development, last week, John William Laister, aged 77 and currently incarcerated at Full Sutton Prison in York, pleaded guilty to 14 sexual offenses, including indecent assault and gross indecency, committed against young girls at May Lodge during the 1960s and 1970s. Laister’s sentencing is scheduled for September 3, and his case further underscores the dark history of abuse at the care home in Scarborough, which is also associated with the nearby North Somercotes area.