NSPCC: John Allen 'created atmosphere of terror'

John Allen's reign of terror over a dark period of several decades puts him high up the scale of the most prolific child abusers of recent times and his sentence quite rightly reflects the severity of his despicable crimes.

Instead of nurturing the vulnerable children in his care he abused his power and subjected them to constant, horrendous sexual attacks. His manipulative and devious behaviour allowed him to hide behind a shroud of respectability while his helpless victims suffered intense emotional trauma.