BERNARD COLLINS AND PATRICK GRANT SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX ABUSE IN CARDIFF AND SUTTON

In a disturbing case that has shocked communities across London and South Wales, two former children’s home workers, Bernard Collins and Patrick Grant, have been convicted and sentenced for the sexual abuse of young boys during the 1970s and 1980s. The abuse took place in various residential facilities, including homes in Lambeth, Kingston, Cardiff, and Llanishen, highlighting a troubling pattern of misconduct within institutions meant to care for vulnerable children.

On Friday, 22 February, after a rigorous seven-week trial at the Inner London Crown Court, the jury found Bernard Collins, aged 73 and residing on Worcester Road in Sutton, guilty of five counts of indecent assault. Following the verdict, Collins was sentenced on Tuesday, 23 April, to four years in prison. His crimes involved abusing boys under the age of 13 while they were in his care at different children’s homes.

Similarly, Patrick Grant, aged 69 and living on Partridge Road in Cardiff, was convicted of ten counts of indecent assault. The court handed down an eight-year prison sentence to Grant on Thursday, 11 April. Grant’s offenses also spanned several years, during which he exploited his position of trust to abuse young boys in his care.

The victims, all boys under the age of 13, were in the care of Grant and Collins at various times while residing at children’s homes in Lambeth, Kingston, Cardiff, and Llanishen. The investigation into these crimes was initiated after a victim came forward in 2014, prompting police to launch Operation Trinity, led by detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command.

As the inquiry progressed, additional victims came forward, revealing that they had been indecently assaulted by Grant and Collins during their stays at Fircroft Children’s Home in Kingston in 1976, when one victim was just 11 years old. Police investigations uncovered further allegations, leading to the formal charging of both men on Monday, 23 April 2018, for their involvement in these heinous acts.

The court heard during the trial that between 1976 and 1989, three boys aged between 10 and 13 were subjected to abuse while in the care of local authorities and staff at various residential homes, including Fircroft Children’s Home in Kingston, Rowan House in Shirley Oaks, Lambeth, and Walker House Children’s Home in Llanishen, South Wales. These revelations have brought to light a dark chapter in the history of child care institutions in the UK, exposing systemic failures and the need for justice for the victims involved.