LONDON — A carer at a former children's home on the Channel island of Jersey was found guilty Thursday of sexually assaulting teenage girls while he worked there in the 1970s.
Gordon Wateridge, 78, repeatedly assaulted the girls at the Haut de la Garenne home.
Described by police as a "sexual bully", he was found guilty of eight charges of indecent assault and one charge of assault following a trial at Jersey Royal Court.
Police said he was the first person to be charged in connection with a wide-ranging abuse investigation dating back several decades on the island.
The court heard that Wateridge, nicknamed "the Perv" by his victims, would grope girls' breasts, hug the teenagers inappropriately and kiss them on the neck.
He indecently assaulted three teenage girls and assaulted one teenage boy.
Haut de la Garenne was home to vulnerable children who suffered from a variety of problems, but Wateridge, then in his 40s, abused his obligation to care for them, the court heard.
Wateridge, who denied all the charges, showed no emotion as the guilty verdicts were returned and he was warned by Judge Christopher Pitchers that he faced prison when he is sentenced next month.
Detective Superintendent Mick Gradwell, from the States of Jersey police, said: "Gordon Wateridge, a house parent at Haut de la Garenne, was a sexual bully towards vulnerable young girls in his care.
"We hope the complainants involved in this trial have received some comfort from the decision reached by the court.
"The historical abuse inquiry is continuing and there is another case in the court process.
"I am unable to comment about the investigation in wider detail at this time."
Jersey, situated in the English Channel between Britain and France, is a dependency of the British crown with its own administration and jurisdiction.
Jersey children's carer guilty of sex assaults