Four more trials to come in historic child sex abuse probe PALLIAL LIST OF SHAME
FOUR further trials are set to take place as part of a long-running investigation into the sexual abuse of children in North Wales.
Predatory paedophile Bryan Davies, 71, a former Llangollen care home boss, became the 10th person to be convicted as part of Operation Pallial, a National Crime Agency investigation into historical abuse that allegedly took place in the region from the 1950s to the 1990s.
The large-scale operation has already seen a number of high-profile convictions – including ex-care home boss John Allen and former police boss Gordon Anglesea, who has since died.
Allen, who owned and ran the Bryn Alyn Community homes, was jailed for life after being found guilty of a string of historic offences against children as young as seven.
Anglesea, a former superintendent at North Wales Police, was jailed for 12 years over historical offences in 2016.
He died a month later in hospital due to natural causes.
Eight others have also been convicted of crimes in relation to the investigation.
The latest abuser to be convicted, Davies, is in hospital in London after going on the run and slitting his throat in an attempt to take his own life before a jury found him guilty of 19 offences – 15 of indecent assault upon six of the complainants and four of an illegal sex act upon another complainant.
He was found not guilty of indecently assaulting three other complainants and indulging in an illegal sex act upon one of them.
They also convicted Davies of six charges of making indecent images of children between 2007 and 2013, and three charges of inciting young boys to indulge in sexual acts over the internet in 2011 and 2012.
Davies was arrested in Malta in 2017 after he went on the run following his arrest in 2013.
North Wales Police’s outgoing chief constable Mark Polin said he was aware victims had waited a long time for justice in these cases.
He said: “I would like to thank the NCA for the thorough and professional investigation they have conducted since Operation Pallial began at my request five and a halflf yearsyears ago.
“There have been 10 con-nvictions to date and thee team have worked closely with North Wales Police, other partners and agencies to deliver advice and support to victims of past abuse and to investigate crimes.
“The victims in each casee have waited a long time foror justice. It has not been an easyasy journey for them and it has takentaken courage to stand by their convictions.nvictions
“Nothing anyone can do nownow willwill change the past.
“But the investment whichch now goes into investigatingg sexual abuse and the significance it is given is considerably different to how it was in the past.”
In total, 372 people have made contact with investigators as part of Operation Pallial.
Investigations into the evi-idence provided by 257 of themem have concluded and details pro-pro- GORDON Anglesea: former North Wales Police superintendent who was jailed in 2016. He died in 2016. JOHN Allen: former care home boss jailed for life in 2014. BRYAN Davies: convicted on Thursday of a string of offences while a care home boss in Llangollen. He is due to be sentenced next month ROGER Griffiths: former headmaster from Wrexham who was jailed for nine months in 2016 for possession of animal porn. He was cleared of two indecent assault charges. KEITH Evans: former care home worker from Wrexham who was convicted of a child cruelty offence in 2016. He was given a suspended sentence. EDDIE Huxley: former Wrexham civil servant from Maidenhead, Berkshire. Huxley, was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault. He jailed for four and a half years. GARY Cook (also known as Mark Grainger): a former professional wrestler from Leicester was found guilty of 16 counts of sexual abuse and sentenced to 14 years in prison. GEORGE Neil Phoenix: a former bus driver from Wrexham, was found guilty of one count of sexual abuse. He was jailed for three and a half years. DAVID Lightfoot: the publican in Wrexham in the 1980s, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire was found guilty of nine offences. He was jailed for ten years. MARC Roy Norry: former local radio presenter from Connahs Quay, Flintshire, found guilty of six offences. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison.