ROY ALLEN AND ROY LOVATT'S HORRIFIC ABUSE AT WETHERBY AND BURNLEY CHILDREN'S HOMES

In a disturbing case that has shocked the communities of Burnley, Redcar, and Wetherby, two men who once held positions of trust at a children’s residential facility have been sentenced to a combined total of 46 years in prison for their heinous crimes against vulnerable boys.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Roy Allen and Roy Lovatt exploited their roles at Thorp Arch Grange school, located on the outskirts of Wetherby in West Yorkshire, to carry out a series of sexual abuses against nine young boys. The severity and extent of their misconduct have left a lasting scar on the victims, many of whom endured years of emotional trauma.

Roy Lovatt, now aged 71 and residing on Queen Street in Redcar, was a housemaster at the school during the time of the abuse. His trial at Leeds Crown Court revealed a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior. The prosecution described Lovatt as a “predatory sex offender,” emphasizing his calculated exploitation of the boys in his care. Lovatt was convicted on four counts of indecent assault and five counts of serious sexual assault involving two boys. Additionally, he admitted to 23 charges of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency involving three other boys and a girl. Some of these victims he had met while training to become a Methodist minister before converting to Roman Catholicism. Lovatt was subsequently sentenced to 28 years in prison.

Meanwhile, Roy Allen, aged 72 and living on Moseley Road in Burnley, was also found guilty of multiple charges. The jury convicted him of nine counts of indecent assault, two counts of serious sexual assault, and one count of attempted serious sexual assault, all involving four boys during the 1970s. At the time of the offenses, Allen was employed as a teacher at the school and later advanced to roles including deputy head and headmaster. His actions, which spanned several years, earned him a sentence of 18 years behind bars.

Judge Neil Clark, presiding over the case, delivered a stern condemnation of the offenders’ actions. He highlighted the harrowing and emotional testimonies of the victims, who recounted their “tormented childhood memories” within a school environment marred by bullying and authoritarian control. The judge noted that many victims felt utterly powerless to report their abuse, often dismissed as “naughty boys” who could not be believed. Clark emphasized that the offenders’ behavior had a profound and lasting impact, stating, “That your behaviour has continued to haunt their adult lives is abundantly clear.”

He further condemned the betrayal of trust inherent in their positions, asserting, “You were in a position of significant trust in relation to those boys. You were there to educate, nurture and care for them, that is what the people of Yorkshire paid for you to do and what they expected you to do and what their parents trusted you to do. However, you did not, you exploited their vulnerability, used that to prey on them to satisfy your own lust.” The judge concluded by condemning their actions as a gross betrayal of the very purpose of their roles, describing their conduct as an “irony of the title care order that was imposed on the children you had care of.”

Prosecutor Richard Wright QC provided context for the court, explaining that Thorp Arch Grange was effectively a secure children’s home, housing youngsters sent there by courts or local authorities. These children were often among the most vulnerable in society, coming from troubled or abusive backgrounds, some involved in petty or serious crimes. Wright emphasized that these children had no choice in their placement and were sent there for safety and care. Unfortunately, he pointed out, the environment was tainted by the presence of “bullies and paedophiles,” including Lovatt and Allen, who exploited their authority to abuse and, in extreme cases, rape the boys.

He described the offenders not as caring professionals dedicated to the well-being of the children but as “cynical sex offenders” who used violence and manipulation to satisfy their own depraved desires. The case has brought to light the dark reality of abuse within institutions meant to protect and nurture, revealing a disturbing breach of trust that has left lifelong scars on the victims and their families.