A FORMER deputy principal of a children’s home has been jailed for 16 years after he was convicted of abusing four boys in his care.

Sentencing Melvin Hamilton Blake, of Menston, at Leeds Crown Court yesterday, Judge James Spencer QC said for anyone to subject children to such offences while pretending to look after them was “quite scandalous and beyond belief”.

The offences happened when Blake was working at Shadwell Children’s Home in Leeds, where he was deputy principal from 1985 until it closed in 1991.

Judge Spencer said Blake, to all outward appearances had led a “blameless life” and his “guilty secret” only came out years later.

“It has become clear that on repeated occasions you have committed serious sexual offences against children in your care.”

He said the children were vulnerable because of their situation and should have felt safe and secure.

“They could have expected to be well-cared for and the people who sent them to you could have expected that you would have looked after them.”

Instead the judge said Blake committed offences against the boys in a pattern that was repeated, starting with touching and progressing in two cases to forcing them to have sex.

Blake, 70, of Ellar Gardens, Menston, was found guilty by a jury on nine charges of indecent assault and four of buggery more regularly dealt with today as male rape.

He was acquitted on seven other charges of indecent assault.

The jury heard he had worked at a number of children’s homes but the abuse was at Shadwell.

A second defendant, Len Lake, 63 of Luttrell Crescent, Lawnswood, Leeds, who was convicted on two charges of indecent assault involving one boy was jailed for two years.

He worked at Shadwell from 1985 to 1992 and the jury heard he has previously been convicted of abusing three other boys in his care.

Kama Melly QC, prosecuting, told the jury one of those abused by Blake was 12 when he was placed at Shadwell because of violence at home.

Blake had called him into his office and began to rub against him.

He subsequently forced the boy to perform a sex act on him and eventually when he was a bit older forced him to have sex.

On some occasions he gave him pornographic magazines, on others some cash.

Another victim was even younger when Blake began touching him and progressed to rape.

As an adult he never told anyone apart from his partner until he saw a programme on television last year about the investigation into abuse at children’s homes, the court was told.