Former Celtic youth manager Cairney deemed unfit for trial
AFORMER Celtic youth manager deemed unfit for trial groped a teenage player in their stadium’s changing room, a hearing was told yesterday.
Frank Cairney, 87, allegedly inappropriately touched the upset 15- year- old while giving him a “consoling” hug in 1986.
Cairney was said to have also touched the boy’s lower back and moved his hand to his upper thigh.
Cairney was said to have committed sexual crimes against a total of three teenage boys between July 1978 and June 1989.
This includes at Celtic Park and in the club’s Barrowfield training ground.
Cairney, of Uddingston, was due to go on trial for five days at Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday.
But his advocate Andrew Crosbie told Sheriff Tom Hughes at a hearing: “He maintains his plea of not guilty.
“You are aware that Mr Cairney is, unfortunately, unfit to stand trial.”
Prosecutor Mark Allan joined in the motion adding: “There is no issue from the Crown for the absence of Mr Cairney and you are invited to fix an examination of facts.”
Sheriff Hughes granted the joint motion to fix an examination of facts and allowed for Cairney’s absence.
Previous hearings had been told that Cairney had been suffering from “health difficulties” including dementia. Court papers state Cairney assaulted the boy when he was aged between 15 and 18 within the Barrowfield dressing rooms as well as Celtic Park between February 1, 1986 and December 31, 1988.
It is claimed Cairney repeatedly hugged him, repeatedly placed his hands underneath his clothing and repeatedly touched his back, stomach, thigh, groin, buttocks and penis.
The now 52- year- old stated in his evidence he moved to Glasgow alone and worked as an apprentice at the club who cleaned the dressing rooms and boots of senior players. He stated that his first interaction with manager Cairney came at an under- 16 tournament in France. The man stated that Cairney was a “big imposing man” and “a bit of a bully”.
The man stated that he went home for a week after the tournament before returning to Scotland while “homesick”.
His Celtic team were said to be playing in an important match which took place at Parkhead.
The man said he played in the match as a substitute but he remained upset after full- time. The man stated that he went into the separate shower area of the Celtic Park dressing room alone and was joined by Cairney.
The witness said: “He asked how I was – I was crying and to be honest I was upset. He put his arms around me to hug me in a consoling way I thought at the time.
“He put his hand on my lower back and his other hand was at the top of the inside of my leg.
“He then moved his hand and touched my private parts and lower stomach.”
The man stated that he was still wearing his football kit at the time.
The hearing was earlier told that the man contacted police in 2018 about the circumstances involving him.
The charges say another boy, when aged between 15 and 16, was assaulted within a car in Paisley, and in the dressing rooms at Celtic’s Barrowfield training ground between July 1, 1978 and June 30, 1979.
Cairney is further charged with repeatedly punching and slapping the same boy to his head and body at Barrowfield.
Cairney is also charged with indecently assaulting a third teenage boy at a hotel room in Aviemore and in a car in Cumbernauld on various occasions between August 1, 1988 and June 30, 1989.
The examination of facts continues before Sheriff Hughes.