Trial date for men accused of abuse
EIGHT men accused of abusing youngsters at a former Coventry children’s home will stand trial next year.
The men all used to work at Wisteria Lodge in Earlsdon and face offences including child cruelty, indecent assault and rape dating back as far as 1981.
Five of the accused have pleaded not guilty to child cruelty charges.
They are: Phillip Barnett, 64, of Hartington Crescent, Coventry; Russell Garner, 58, of Orchard Street, Bedworth; Pat Duignan, 59, of The Riddings, Canley; David Saunders, 64, of Sibton Close, Bell Green; and David Fox, of 74, of Abbey Road, Boston, Lincolnshire.
Ivan McChleery, 76, of Greens Road, Coventry, has denied two counts of indecent assault and child cruelty charges, while Peter Moore, 72, of Winston Avenue, Wood End, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of aiding and abetting an indecent assault on a child.
An eighth man – Alan Todd, 72, from Coventry – faces seven offences of child cruelty, one rape of a child and three indecent assaults. The charges all relate to allegations relating to 15 children between 1981 and 1997.
The eight men appeared at Warwick Crown Court when a trial date was set for September 3, 2018. It is estimated that the trial will last for around eight weeks.
Before then, a further hearing is also due to take place on February 5 next year.
Wisteria Lodge, which stood in Earlsdon Avenue South, was demolished in 2009.