Two Barnardos home workers guilty of sex abuse

Two former carers at a Barnardos home were convicted today of a string of sex abuse charges against young children.

Margaret Hewitt, 68, and George Anderson, 46, were found guilty of 70 charges of sexual and physical abuse carried out at the Macedon home in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, more than 25 years ago.

During the nine-week trial, the jury at Belfast Crown Court heard graphic details of how Hewitt and Anderson systematically molested children in their charge.

As the pair were found guilty, it emerged that Hewitt was once engaged to a man at the centre of one of the most notorious sex scandals in the history of Northern Ireland.

Sources confirmed that Hewitt was the fiancee of the late Joe Mains, jailed for six years in the early 1980s for his part in the abuse of residents of Kincora Boys Home in east Belfast.

Although Mains pleaded guilty to the charges, the police case against him was that he took children to Hewitt’s house in Connsbrook Avenue in east Belfast to abuse them.

A jury of nine men and one woman found Hewitt, from Drains Bay in Larne, guilty of 53 offences including indecent assaults, gross indecency and inciting gross indecency.

She was found not guilty of a further 17 charges.

Anderson, a former paramedic supervisor from Ballycarry, Co Antrim, was convicted of 17 charges including rapes, indecent assault and gross indecency.

He was found not guilty of 11 charges.

The complaints were brought by eight children who were residents of the home between January 1977 and June 1981, when it closed.

Prosecuting counsel Gerald Simpson QC described how the children would run away after Hewitt told them frightening stories in the dark. She would then find them and abuse them.

Both Hewitt and Anderson were remanded on bail until sentencing.

The judge, Mr Justice Weir, told the pair that this should not be taken as any indication that they would not face a prison term.

Anderson, who is currently living in England, was ordered to return to the jurisdiction and report daily to his nearest police station.

Outside court the relieved victims welcomed the verdict. One man who had been abused by Hewitt said: “I always said they were guilty from the start and people didn’t believe it but now they know the truth.”

Another man who suffered abuse at the hands of both defendants said: “I’m glad and excited that justice has prevailed. She (Hewitt) is a sick, evil woman and I hope she rots in hell.”

The victim said he had been worried that the jury might find the pair not guilty. He added: “I would encourage other victims to come forward now that justice has been shown to be done.”

The director of Barnardo’s in Northern Ireland, Lynda Wilson, said the charity was deeply saddened by the events at Macedon.

“Our hearts go out to all of the children who were involved and who as adults have had to endure these court proceedings. We know that it takes a great deal of bravery for people to come forward who have suffered this type of abuse.”

Ms Wilson said the charity had co-operated fully with the police throughout the inquiry.

“Our aim today is to learn as much as we can from the experience of the past and to take all steps necessary to reduce opportunities for child abuse to occur.”