EX-ARTS CENTRE MANAGER JOHN ALLEN SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR MURDER IN DEVON

In December 2002, John Allen, the former general manager of The Quay Arts Centre, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and children, committed 27 years prior.

Allen was handed three life sentences after a Crown Court jury convicted him of the murders of Patricia Allen, his wife, and their children, Jonathan, aged seven, and Vicky, aged five. The bodies of the victims have never been recovered.

The murders took place while Allen resided in Devon. Although no charges were filed at the time due to insufficient evidence, a renewed police investigation was launched in 1992 after Allen's former lover published a book expressing her belief that he was responsible for the murders.

At the time of the killings, Allen was employed at a restaurant in Newport after leaving his previous job at The Quay. Patricia Allen disappeared from their family home in Salcombe, Devon, on May 26, 1975, and her children went missing two days later.

Allen had joined The Quay Arts Centre through a day-release scheme run by Camp Hill jail, where he was nearing the end of a sentence for fraud. Upon his full release, he volunteered at The Quay before taking on full-time employment in the early 1990s, including managing the cafeteria.

People connected with The Quay revealed that they had never trusted Allen and had attempted to have him removed from the arts centre. Ron Smith and Brian Hinton, former management committee members, shared their views that they had been dismissed when they raised concerns.

Dr. Hinton stated, “Though at the time we were told we were victimising Allen, this verdict shows we were correct and it was the judgment of those who supported him that was wrong.” He added, “We tried to point out that he was rotten but it was as though he had taken in almost everyone.”

Mr. Smith, now chairing Dimbola, recounted being warned about Allen by someone connected to the day-release scheme, saying, “I was told to be careful because Allen was a psychopath who had probably killed his wife and children but had not been convicted because of a lack of evidence.”

Anne Toms, who formerly directed The Quay Arts Centre, reflected, “I can see how people were taken in. He was an extremely charming and kind person. But you had the feeling with him that there was something that was not quite right.”

Details of Allen’s employment record at The Quay could not be fully confirmed after he left voluntarily in 1992. Subsequently, he managed the Maison Reynard Restaurant in Holyrood Street, Newport, before leaving the Isle of Wight.

During his trial at Exeter Crown Court, which concluded on Monday, Allen—described as a grammar school-educated former army officer—was characterized by the judge as dishonest. Superintendent Paul Davies, who led the investigation, described Allen as a "callous and cold individual."

Guy Eades, who chaired The Quay’s management committee during Allen’s involvement, chose not to comment on his character.