No re-trial for care home workers

Margaret Hewitt and George Anderson will not face a re-trial

Two former Barnardos workers who had convictions against them for sexual offences against young people quashed will not face a re-trial.

Margaret Hewitt and George Anderson had spent 10 months in jail after being found guilty of the abuse at the Macedon home in Newtownabbey.

Mrs Hewitt, 70, formerly of Drains Bay in Larne and Mr Anderson, 47, formerly of Ballycarry, were freed in June.

The convictions were quashed after one witness admitted he had lied.

In June, Appeal Court judge Lord Justice Nicholson said this retraction of evidence had contaminated the evidence of other witnesses.

He added this had left the court with a significant sense of unease about the safety of the jury's verdicts.

Mrs Hewitt had been sentenced to 11 years in prison after being found guilty of 53 counts of child abuse, while Mr Anderson was originally sentenced to 15 years after being found guilty of two counts of rape and 15 other convictions.

In the original case, the prosecution had alleged most of the assaults took place at the home more than 25 years ago when Mr Hewitt and Mrs Anderson worked there.

The home was closed and demolished in 1981.