A court in Bradford has issued rulings concerning sexual and physical offences committed at the Skircoat Lodge care facility between 1976 and 1994.

布拉福的一家法院已就 1976 年至 1994 年間在 Skircoat Lodge 照顧機構發生的性犯罪及身體虐待事件作出裁決。

The legal proceedings centered on Malcolm Phillips, the former manager of Skircoat Lodge, and his assistant, Linda Brunning. Due to age-related cognitive decline and physical infirmity, Mr. Phillips was adjudicated unfit to stand trial. Consequently, the court convened a trial of facts, a procedural mechanism wherein a jury determines the occurrence of alleged offences without the capacity to issue a criminal conviction. The jury concluded that Mr. Phillips had perpetrated multiple offences, including rape and indecent assault, against six victims. However, the presiding judge, Kirstie Watson, noted that the statutory framework precluded imprisonment for an individual deemed unfit for trial. Given the absence of a qualifying mental disorder for hospital committal and the perceived inefficiency of a supervision order, the court granted an absolute discharge and imposed a sexual harm prevention order.

此次法律程序集中於 Skircoat Lodge 前經理 Malcolm Phillips 及其助手 Linda Brunning。由於年齡導致的認知能力下降和身體衰弱，Phillips 先生被判定為不適合受審。因此，法院召開了一次「事實審理」（trial of facts），這是一種由陪審團判定指控罪行是否發生，但無法發出刑事定罪的程序機制。陪審團得出結論，Phillips 先生對六名受害者犯有多項罪行，包括強姦和猥褻侵害。然而，主審法官 Kirstie Watson 指出，法定框架禁止對被判定為不適合受審的個人處以監禁。鑑於其不符合送往醫院的精神疾病條件，且監督令被認為缺乏效率，法院授予其絕對釋放，並施加了一項防止性侵害令。

Conversely, Linda Brunning was convicted of indecent assault and aiding and abetting sexual offences. The court characterized Ms. Brunning as a domineering presence who facilitated the abuse and derived satisfaction from the humiliation of the residents. She received a custodial sentence of 25 years. Evidence presented during the proceedings indicated that the facility operated under a regime of intimidation, where children were isolated, deprived of basic necessities, and threatened with the loss of familial contact to ensure compliance and silence.

相反地，Linda Brunning 被判定犯有猥褻侵害以及協助與教唆性犯罪。法院將 Brunning 女士描述為一名支配欲強的人，她促成了虐待行為，並從居民受辱中獲得滿足感。她被判處 25 年監禁。程序中提出的證據表明，該機構在恐嚇制度下運作，兒童被隔離、被剝奪基本生活必需品，並被威脅將失去與家人的聯繫，以確保其服從與沉默。

This litigation represents the second such prosecution involving Mr. Phillips; a prior conviction in 2001 resulted in a seven-year sentence for the abuse of eight female residents. The prosecution asserted that the systemic abuse persisted for nearly two decades, shielded by the institutional legitimacy of the care home. Victims testified to the enduring psychological trauma and the failure of contemporary authorities to intervene when attempts were made to escape the facility.

此次訴訟是涉及 Phillips 先生的第二次起訴；他在 2001 年的一次定罪中，因虐待八名女性居民而被判處七年徒刑。控方主張，這種系統性虐待持續了近二十年，並受到照顧之家制度合法性的掩護。受害者證稱，他們承受著持久的心理創傷，且在嘗試逃離機構時，當時的當局未能採取干預措施。

The proceedings concluded with the incarceration of Linda Brunning and the absolute discharge of Malcolm Phillips, who remains at his residence.

法律程序最後以 Linda Brunning 入獄及 Malcolm Phillips 絕對釋放告終，Phillips 仍留在其住所。