Former Bryn Alyn Children's Care Home Owner John Allen Guilty of Sex Abuse

A former children's care home owner has been found guilty of 26 charges of historical child sex offences in north Wales.

John Allen, 73, was accused of a 40 total counts of sexual abuse against 19 boys and one girl between 1968 and early 1991.

He was found guilty at Mold Crown Court on 21 counts of indecent assault, one count of indecent activity with a child, two counts of an illegal sex act, and two charges of attempting an illegal sex act.

He was found not guilty of two counts of indecent assault, with the jury still deliberating on a further 12 counts.

Allen owned a group of 11 children's care homes in and around the Wrexham area, known as Bryn Alyn Community. During the trial, prosecutor Eleanor Laws QC told the court Allen had created a "sexualised atmosphere within the homes, alongside a culture of fear".

Staff were also said to have been fearful of Allen during their time there, with some of the victims describing him as a hostile and violent person often under the influence of alcohol.

The jury were told about Allen's previous convictions for indecent assault against six boys aged between 12 and 16 in the 1970s.

Allen is the first person to be convicted under Operation Pallial, the investigation into allegations of sexual abuse in care homes in North Wales.