A FORMER boss of a North Yorkshire school who was jailed last year for 13 years for serious sexual offences and child cruelty has won permission to appeal against some of his convictions.

James Bernard Littlewood, 59, of Brigg Road, Wrawby, near Brigg, Lincolnshire, was convicted in May last year at Grimsby Crown Court of two serious sexual offences and 13 counts of child cruelty.

He was sentenced to nine years for the serious sexual offences and a further, consecutive, four years for the child cruelty - making 13 years in total. Yesterday three judges sitting at London's Court of Appeal gave him the green light to challenge the sexual offence convictions and one of the child cruelty counts.

The charges relate to the time Littlewood spent working at two schools, one in North Yorkshire.

Littlewood was said to have physically and sexually abused youngsters when he was a warden, deputy manager and manager at the homes for troubled children.

Barrister John Lodge, for Littlewood, told Lord Justice Rix, Mr Justice Douglas Brown and Judge Sir Richard Tucker, that the jury had returned "inconsistent verdicts" on the counts under appeal.

He said Littlewood was acquitted of one other serious sexual offence allegation and the jury could not make up their minds on another.

Mr Lodge also said fresh evidence, relating to a staff register at one of the homes from the early 1980s, had also come to light.

Crown barrister, Catarina Sjolin, claimed the fresh evidence did nothing to undermine the prosecution case, and even supported it, but Lord Justice Rix ruled it should be heard at Littlewood's full appeal.

Miss Sjolin also argued the verdicts returned were not so inconsistent as to render Littlewood's convictions unsafe, and argued any anomalies could be "explained away by a legitimate train of reasoning".

However, Lord Justice Rix ruled there was an "arguable" case the convictions being challenged were unsafe and should be overturned.

"We cannot say that he should be confident in his appeal, but on the grounds we have heard and in the light of the fact of the lengthy sentence he is serving, we grant him permission," said the judge.

The Appeal Court decision was welcomed by members of Littlewood's family, who were in court, but they declined to comment further on the case.

No date was set for the full hearing of Littlewood's appeal.

Updated: 10:50 Friday, June 20, 2003