Victims’ fury as paedophile gets chance to ‘abuse again’ in evidence to inquiry
A CONVICTED paedophile branded the Beast of the Belltower is to give evidence to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
John Porteous will be the first child abuser convicted north of the Border to give evidence to the hearing.
Porteous – jailed in 2002 for abusing two boys in a bell tower at Quarriers Village children’s home in Renfrewshire – has never admitted his crimes and continued to protest his innocence while in jail.
Yesterday one of his victims, David Whelan, said Porteous would use the opportunity to ‘abuse victims all over again’.
Porteous, who carried out his offences between 1969 and 1977, is expected to give evidence at the inquiry led by Lady Smith in Edinburgh next month.
Mr Whelan, 61, fears he will use the platform to continue to deny his guilt.
Porteous has been cited as part of the inquiry’s next investigation into three institutions, including the Quarriers Village children’s home, Barnardo’s and the Aberlour Child Care Trust.
Mr Whelan, a campaigner for the rights of victims of institutional abuse, said: ‘Porteous has never accepted his guilt for destroying our lives. I believe he will use the invitation to continue abusing us.
‘We’ve waited decades for the truth to come out and for our voices to be heard.
‘It is hard to understand why the inquiry sought to give convicted paedophiles a voice.’
The inquiry will hear allegations of abuse at the institution set up by Victorian philanthropist William Quarrier in Bridge of Weir.
It has more abuse convictions than any other home north of the Border, with seven people, including Porteous, convicted of abusing 23 children there.
Mr Whelan ended up in care with his sister Irene when his mother had a breakdown.
He said: ‘Despite Quarriers having the highest number of convicted carers, the charity has done everything in its power to ensure victims have been denied justice and reparation for what we endured.
‘To this day, some won’t realise what evil went on at Quarriers.
‘Porteous refused to accept responsibility for what he did, but so have others. He used a change in the law to have his sentence shortened, but has never appealed his conviction.’
Secrets Or Lies, a BBC Scotland programme that questioned the guilt of Porteous, was discredited when standards watchdogs found its makers had made ‘serious errors of judgment’.
They said the programme was unbalanced and ‘new’ evidence had not been properly researched.
Mr Whelan said: ‘The audacity of Porteous to even take part is why I’m convinced he’ll continue to protest his innocence. No convicted paedophile should be given that opportunity. His lawyers had their say in court and he was unanimously found guilty.’
On escaping from the Quarriers home at 16, Mr Whelan began a successful events business. He buried his memories of the abuse – until a phone call from Porteous’s wife Helen 16 years ago, asking him to be a ‘character witness’ for his ‘Uncle John’ when he was under police investigation.
His brave decision to tell the truth instead led to the biggest police investigation into child abuse in Scotland.
A spokesman for the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry said: ‘It is vital that the inquiry hears evidence from anyone who has important and relevant information.
‘This included survivors and those who worked for the institutions under investigation. This may include convicted abusers.
‘Extensive efforts are made to ensure that the hearings process is dealt with thoroughly but sensitively.’
‘Some won’t realise what evil went on’