STEPHEN NORRIS BROUGHTON AND WREXHAM CHILD SEX ABUSER SENTENCED TO SEVEN YEARS

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the communities of Broughton and Wrexham, Stephen Norris, a former social worker, was sentenced to seven years in prison at Knutsford Crown Court in Cheshire for a series of heinous sexual offenses committed against young boys under his care. The court heard that Norris, aged 57 at the time of sentencing, had a disturbing history of abusing boys during his tenure at various children’s homes, including Bryn Estyn in Wrexham and Cartrefle in Broughton.

Judge Gareth Edwards delivered a stern and condemnatory judgment, stating, “In your life, you have done an indescribable amount of evil, and no excuse is adequate. The harm inflicted upon your victims is immeasurable, and your actions may leave a foul legacy that endures for generations.” The judge also expressed frustration that Norris was able to operate undetected for so long, despite his positions of authority. “What I find particularly disturbing is how you managed to evade justice for so many years and rose to senior roles that gave you power over vulnerable children,” he remarked.

These offenses, which involved boys aged between 10 and 14, occurred approximately a decade earlier when Norris was serving as the senior house master at Bryn Estyn Children’s Home in Wrexham, Clwyd. The home, which closed in 1984, was the site of multiple allegations that only came to light during an internal investigation conducted by Clwyd County Council. The investigation was triggered after Norris had previously been sentenced in June 1990 to three and a half years in prison for similar offenses committed at Cartrefle Children’s Home in Broughton, where he was also employed as a house master. Norris was released from prison in January of the following year.

The court was informed that Norris committed his crimes in various locations, including the children’s home itself, his family residence at Afonwen near Mold, a staff flat, and a friend’s house. It was also revealed that Norris often took the boys to the Sportsman’s Arms pub in Afonwen, where he would buy them beer or shandy. Some of the boys were rewarded with tobacco and given privileges such as their own rooms, which facilitated further abuse. Norris pleaded guilty to four charges of buggery and three counts of indecent assault.

Representing Norris, Maurice Kay QC, stated that his client had lost everything—his home, his marriage, and his reputation. The court also noted that three additional cases are still pending as a result of the ongoing police investigation following the internal inquiry by Clwyd County Council.

John Jevons, the director of social services for Clwyd since 1991, commented after the sentencing that procedures for staff recruitment and abuse detection had been significantly improved in the wake of these revelations, aiming to prevent such tragedies from recurring in the future.