A 71-year-old Suffolk man has now been charged with a total of 46 child sex offences following another court appearance in Wales.

John Allen, of Foxglove Avenue, Needham Market, was today charged with an additional 14 offences relating to eight children over a 20-year period after being charged with 32 child sex offences in July.

The allegations facing Mr Allen were brought as part of an investigation into historic child abuse in north Wales care homes.

Mr Allen today appeared at Caernarvon Crown Court in north Wales where he was charged with 11 additional allegations of indecent assault, two offences of buggery and one of rape.

They allegedly took place against seven boys and one girl aged between 12 and 15 years old between 1972 and 1991.

At a previous hearing at Mold Magistrates’ Court in north Wales on July 31, Mr Allen was charged with 22 offences of indecent assault.

He was also charged with nine allegations of buggery and one of inciting gross indecency with a child.

Those allegations span around 20 years, from 1968 to 1989, and involve 15 youngsters, 14 boys and one girl, aged between seven and 15 at the time.

Mr Allen, ex-head of the Bryn Alyn Community which ran homes in north Wales, was released on bail and is set to appear at Mold Crown Court on February 7.

The Bryn Alyn Community was a limited company which operated a total of 11 residential children’s homes in north east Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire.