‘Dozens of victims may be out there’
ALEADING child abuse lawyer has said dozens of victims of twisted care worker Bruce McLean from Moore have yet to come forward.
McLean was found guilty at Chester Crown court of 19 indecent assault sex charges against school boys – some as young as seven – from the 1970s through to the early 1990s at two care homes, including one in Knutsford.
There were no verdicts on a further 14 charges which may be retried.
The defendant denied ever abusing children.
The 62-year-old of Runcorn Road, Moore, worked at multiple children’s homes as a residential officer including Kilrie in Knutsford and Taxal Edge in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire.
He used his connections at Manchester United to groom his victims and later ‘buy their silence’ when he abused them in their rooms.
The court heard McLean knew players at Manchester United, including club legend goalkeeper Gary Bailey, and would take children from Kilrie to training sessions at United’s former Cliff training ground.
He said Mr Bailey had come up with the idea to visit the home, along with other footballers, as a way to stop the children being bullied at school.
But McLean used this charitable idea as a gateway to abuse.
It has never been suggested that Gary Bailey’s offer came from anything other than a genuine desire to help disadvantaged children.
Now child abuse expert Peter Garsden – who is already representing victims of abuse from Kilrie and has won previous McLean victims damages and costs totalling £350,000 – says there are likely to be dozens more victims across Runcorn and Cheshire who are yet to come forward.
He was convicted in 1997 of 10 counts of indecent assault.
Mr Garsden, head of abuse law at Simpson Millar solicitors, said: “This is just the tip of the iceberg.
“This care worker repeatedly targeted the most vulnerable.
“He ruled with impunity for nearly three decades.
“The amount of expupils who gave evidence against him shows how prolific an offender he actually was.
“In my experience in cases where abuse takes place in an institution, the chances of the incidents bi being thi this i isolated ltd are extremely slight.
“These type of offenders have usually abused many more children over the years.
“Many of the victims are now in their 50s with families of their own and have been living with this guilty secret all their lives.
“If anyone else knows anything about the case or was at either of the homes, I am appealing for them to come forward.
“We can help victims get the specialist care and advice they need to cope with the abuse long term.
“This cruel individual has now got his comeuppance and it is time for victims to heal past wounds at the hands of this cruel individual.”
McLean was due to be sentenced pending the court’s decision about whether to send the other 14 counts for retrial. ●