Children’s home boss sexually abused me & punched me when I was 11… he won’t go to prison for a disgusting reason

KELLY Lees, 45, a drug and alcohol counsellor, lives in West Yorkshire. Today, she opens up on her ordeal at a children’s home and how her abuser escaped prison. Kelly Lees, 45, is still fighting to have her voice heard after her ordeal Credit: Supplied Kelly as a child before going to Skircoat Lodge Credit: Supplied “A shiver ran down my spine as the children’s home manager, Malcolm Phillips, called me his ‘special girl’ and gestured for me to sit on his knee. Panicked, I looked round, but there was no escape from his office. Homework book in hand, I climbed on to his lap with my eyes tightly closed. Then he sexually assaulted me. Afterwards, I burst into tears. Instead of comforting me, Phillips’ deputy Linda Brunning screamed that no one loved me, then hit me and locked me in the pantry. Aged 11, sobbing in the dark, I was alone in the world. A few weeks earlier, in spring 1992, I’d been taken away from my family because it wasn’t safe. Arriving at children’s home Skircoat Lodge in Halifax, I was shown round the dark, unwelcoming building by Phillips. In the living room, there was no TV or sofa, just a few chairs. That night, I slept in a dormitory with five girls. We had to wear nighties with no underwear beneath. In the early hours, I was woken by the sound of screaming kids being dragged from their beds. The next morning, there was no breakfast and I was starving all day in school. A few days later, Phillips called me into his office to do my homework. Once the door was closed, the abuse began. After that, it became a daily pattern. An older boy told me Phillips liked ‘the quiet ones’ so I needed to make a nuisance of myself, in the hope of being moved to a secure unit. I started to act up and play truant, and the abuse eased off a little. I learned not to cry after the attacks so Brunning would leave me alone. The other kids and I were broken, but we stuck together. After I turned 13, in March 1994, the boy who had helped me took his own life. Heartbroken, I complained to social services about the abuse and was moved to a new home. The staff there were kind, but the damage had been done. The trauma had exacerbated the epilepsy I’d suffered since childhood. My seizures worsened, and I needed a lot of medication. Aged 16, I left care, got a flat and went to college to study health and social care. The following year, I had a beautiful baby boy, Callum. He was diagnosed with fetal valproate syndrome, a devastating result of my seizure medication, and died aged eight months. My heart shattered, but as I’d learned not to cry during the abuse, I outwardly put a mask over my sadness. We buried Callum at the local cemetery, and at night, I slept on his grave, desperate to be close. Six months later, I tried to overdose, but a friend found me and took me to hospital. In 2001, Phillips was convicted of abusing eight children at Skircoat Lodge – which had closed in 1996 – and was sentenced to seven years in jail. Relieved but angry, I wanted justice for myself, too. Slowly, I rebuilt my life. I had three daughters, trained as a drug and alcohol counsellor, and became an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse. Abuser Malcolm Phillips, the children’s home manager, sexually assaulted Kelly aged 11 Credit: Asadour Guzelian Phillips’ deputy Linda Brunning hit Kelly and locked her in the pantry when she burst into tears after the abuse Credit: Supplied Time after time, I went to the police about what had happened to me, but nothing was done – until 2017, when an officer got in touch. I made a statement and Phillips was charged with sexual offences against me and other children. The court process was agonisingly slow, bringing back painful memories, as well as my grief at losing Callum. Facing charges of rape, indecent assault and indecency with a child, Phillips, now 93, was deemed unfit to face a criminal trial this January due to his age and ill health. Instead he faced a ‘trial of the facts’ – a public hearing that concluded he had carried out the offences. In June, he was handed an absolute discharge sentence and a sexual harm prevention order. The judge at Bradford Crown Court explained she was bound by the statutory framework, but told Phillips he’d committed ‘vile abuse’ and ‘cultivated a culture of fear among the young and extremely vulnerable children in [his] care.’ Linda Brunning, 67, was found guilty of indecently assaulting a boy and helping Phillips sexually abuse another boy. She was jailed for 25 years. I’m appalled that Phillips escaped prison. The law needs to be changed so that abusers, no matter what their circumstances, face justice. If the police had taken me seriously when I first made my complaints, then he would have been fit to stand trial. What Phillips did will haunt me forever, yet his rights have come before mine. I will keep fighting until my voice is heard.” West Yorkshire Police said: “Operation Henway worked with Kelly for a number of years. “All available evidence was presented at Bradford Crown Court in January 2026 and resulted in a successful prosecution. We would like to encourage others affected to contact the inquiry team. You will be listened to and every report fully explored.”