MERSEYSIDE CARE HOME ABUSER THOMAS LEES SENTENCED IN 2001

MERSEYSIDE CARE HOME ABUSER THOMAS LEES SENTENCED IN 2001

In April 2001, a former house warden at a care home in Merseyside was sentenced after being convicted of physically and sexually abusing a boy in his care.

Thomas Lees was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of one charge of indecent assault and one charge of child cruelty.

He was acquitted of three charges of indecently assaulting a different boy and three charges of cruelty toward a third boy.

Lees received a 12-month prison sentence, which was suspended for two years, and was ordered to register as a sex offender.

Additionally, he was prohibited from working with children.

The suspended sentence was granted partly because the offences took place over 20 years earlier, and considering Lees' age, health issues, and the recent death of his wife.

Judge Denis Clark remarked, "When you sexually or physically abuse a child you set in place an emotional time bomb which can explode at any time in the future and risk starting a cycle of events over which they have no control." The incidents occurred at a children’s home, which also served as a school, though the institution cannot be publicly named for legal reasons.