In response to some of the mitigation heard about Linda Brunning, prosecutor Michelle Colborn KC says the defendant did not "at any stage" in the trial say that she had been groomed or that she was fearful of Malcolm Phillips.

"She had nothing bad to say [about him]."

Colborn says there is evidence Brunning chased a boy from the garden and "had to be pulled away from doing anything to him".

Judge Kirstie Watson has now retired to consider the outcome before sentencing Brunning and ruling on what punishment, if any, Phillips should face.

Colley says Malcolm Phillips had already begun abusing children before Linda Brunning arrived at Skircoat Lodge in 1978, aged 19.

"It was a feature of her evidence that she herself, as a member of staff, felt she had been groomed by him.

"She was effectively in awe of him."

Colley previously said Phillips was a "very dominant person who ruled by fear and who intimidated residents and staff alike".

Colley tells the court the restraints used by Brunning, which included sitting on children, were part of approved practices at the time and had been used at other children's homes.

"Effectively, Linda Brunning was carrying out a procedure [...] that was used by many as an approved method."

She says some of Brunning's behaviour should be "placed into context".

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Colley says the absence of offending for her client "over a long period of time", together with her "good character", act as "significant mitigation".

She tells the court Brunning went on to work with vulnerable adults after she was taken out of Skircoat Lodge in 1994 when Phillips was investigated, with no complaints about her behaviour in that role.

Two "thorough" investigations after then produced no prosecutions, she adds.

The court is now hearing from Kitty Colley, who represents Linda Brunning.

Her client, who has no previous convictions, denied all the charges against her during her trial, but "respects those verdicts", Colley says.

Brunning was found guilty of indecent assault against one boy and helping Malcolm Phillips abuse another boy in the 1980s and 1990s.

Bradford Crown Court earlier heard from victims who described Skircoat Lodge as a "horrible, cruel environment" where they were "subjected to torture, harm, degradation and trauma".

One said: "I was constantly told: 'Nobody cares, nobody loves you, you are worthless'."

Three victims waived their legal right to anonymity to share their experiences.

Angela Radford said she could "still hear the screams today", adding: "The stigma of being called a liar has stayed with me throughout my life."

Karen Bentham said she wanted to speak out "so others would see they are not alone".

Meanwhile Kelly Lees told the court she was "disrespected and denied the opportunity of bringing the perpetrators to justice".

She said police and social services "blamed each other for not taking my honest account seriously".

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Malcolm Phillips' abuse took place at Skircoat Lodge in Halifax between 1976 and 1994.

A judge will decide the punishment this afternoon for Skircoat Lodge children's home manager Malcolm Phillips, 93, who sexually abused youngsters in his care for decades.

Phillips abused four girls and two boys at the home in Halifax between 1976 and 1994. He was deemed unfit to stand trial and a trial of facts was held on charges of rape, indecent assault and indecency with a child.

Gillian Batts KC, representing Phillips, told Bradford Crown Court both the defence and prosecution were in agreement that he was not fit to stand trial due to "various medical conditions".

She said the "only available disposal" in the case was an absolute discharge.

His former assistant Linda Brunning, 67, will be sentenced after she was found guilty of indecent assault against one boy and helping Phillips abuse another boy.

Batts says Phillips, who turned 93 in January, is now "extremely highly reliant on his wife".

"The risk of him having any unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 16 [...] is negligible, if not non-existent," she says.

Colborn, who is prosecuting the case, says Phillips' risk of harm "is one that still exists".

The judge has risen to allow the court to break for lunch. Proceedings will resume at 14:15 BST.

Batts says her client is unsuitable for a range of alternative punishments to custody available to the court, including a hospital order and a community order.

She says his "difficulties arise primarily through physical illness", rather than a mental condition.

"The only available disposal in this case is one of absolute discharge," she adds, a comment which draws reaction from some of the victims in court.

Batts tells the court there is no evidence of her client's offending since 1994.

According to the Sentencing Council, external, which issues guidelines on sentencing, an absolute discharge means that "the court has decided not to impose a punishment because the experience of going to court has been punishment enough".

Gillian Batts KC, who represents Malcolm Phillips, says both the defence and prosecution were in agreement that the defendant, who has "various medical conditions" was not fit to stand trial in January.

Batts says a "number of expert medical reports" were obtained before this conclusion was reached.

Phillips, who cuts a frail figure, has been sat in what appears to be an armchair throughout the hearing, with his head resting on a cushion.

Kelly Lees finishes her victim statement by telling the court she feels her abuser, who did not face trial on medical grounds, "has once again played the system and is laughing at me".

"What I struggle to believe is that my abuser, who lives the life of a free man, will never face any consequences of his actions.

"He was the abuser, yet today I feel he's still being protected."

Kelly Lees tells the court: "At every opportunity I was disrespected and denied the opportunity of bringing the perpetrators to justice."

She says police and social services "blamed each other for not taking my honest account seriously".

Lees says her substance abuse began at the age of 11 during her time in care, saying it was the "only way" she knew how to cope with the abuse she faced.

Kelly Lees is now reading her victim impact statement to the court. She too has waived her right to anonymity.

The court hears how she was punched in the face by Linda Brunning and groomed and sexually abused by Malcolm Phillips, who would sometimes commit sexual acts on her in front of another man.

She says basic needs like food and water were "weaponised" at the home.

If you are affected by any of the issues in this story, help and support is available at BBC Action Line.

Karen Bentham says she "shared my journey so others would see they are not alone".

She is wearing a personalised hoodie in tribute to the survivors of the abuse at Skircoat Lodge.

"Using my voice allows me to help others find theirs.

"A children's home should be a place of safety. For me, it became a place where my safety was taken.

"The impact of his actions has shaped every one of the 13,116 days that have followed."

The court is hearing from Karen Bentham, another former resident of Skircoat Lodge who has waived her right to anonymity.

She says she has waited a total of 13,116 days for justice since she was raped twice by Malcolm Phillips in 1990.

"What happened to me has never stayed in the past. It's in your body, in your mind and in the way your experience the world," she says, talking through tears.

"Safety has never felt normal. Trauma shaped my relationships. Sustaining relationships has been complicated."

Like other victims, Bentham also speaks of having suicidal thoughts since the abuse.

Prosecutor Michelle Colborn KC is now discussing the sentencing guidelines for some of the offences.

She submits that these offences should fall into the most serious category for punishment due to the "severe" harm to the victims, who were particularly vulnerable.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Linda Brunning, above, told one boy his mother didn't love him and he had to rely on her now, court hears.

In a victim impact statement, the court is told how Skircoat Lodge was a "horrible, cruel environment with sexual predators".

"I had two residences at Skircoat Lodge and nothing had changed. In fact, it was worse," one says.

Another victim uses their statement to tell the court they were "subjected to torture, harm, degradation and trauma".

"I was constantly told: 'Nobody cares, nobody loves you, you are worthless'."

The judge has risen for another short break.