Former teachers convicted of child abuse

Jury hears how two teachers subjected pupils in their care to years of harrowing sexual abuse

The headmaster and teacher of a former school for troubled boys have been convicted of physical and sexual abuse against six pupils more than 30 years ago.

John Farrell, 73, and Paul Kelly, 64, preyed on youngsters at St Ninian’s in Fife, which was run by the catholic Christian Brothers organisation.

The pair abused the boys – many who already had a chaotic upbringing and whom they should have been protecting – to satisfy their depraved needs.

Farrell, who was the headmaster, was convicted of physically abusing one boy and sexually abusing three others.

Kelly was found guilty of sexually abusing two boys and sexually and physically abusing a third.

The victims were abused between 1979 and 1983 when they were aged between 11 and 15.

A jury heard harrowing claims of how boys were left traumatised by their ordeals. The paedophiles cheated justice for decades – with Farrell even going on to become a priest.

But, the tenacity of one victim – determined to see the pair in the dock – sparked a huge police probe into the abuse.

An investigation was finally launched after he went to the Archdiocese and made a formal complaint in 2013.

The probe then uncovered many more complainers.

Yesterday, at the High Court in Glasgow, Farrell and Kelly were convicted after a 13-week trial of a total of 11 charges involving six victims.

The other 22 charges they faced, involving another 18 alleged victims, were found not guilty or not proven by the jury of 14.

Farrell and Kelly – who both denied all charges – were remanded in custody pending sentencing next month.

Their defence QCs Edward Targowski and Mhairi Richards asked for bail for the accused, who are both first offenders, but were refused.

Boys at the school in Falkland had mainly troubled childhoods. One pupil who became a victim was a heroin user at just 12.

Farrell was schooled by the brotherhood and went on to become a teacher “inspired” by the organisation’s “aims”. He became head teacher at the school replacing Brother Gerry Ryan, who later died, but who was also at the centre of abuse claims.

Farrell was held in such high esteem one pupil’s mum described him as the “Archbishop of Fife”.

Kelly was sent to St Ninian’s by the Christian Brothers from a school in Plymouth, Devon.

Kelly – who taught a number of subjects including religious studies and sport – went on to become a housemaster.

Farrell claimed he was “kind to all pupils,” but he and Kelly used their positions of authority to abuse them.

Kelly’s bedroom was described as an “open area” where pupils often spent the night.

In evidence he told the jury: “I have never sexually molested anyone.”

But prosecutor Kath Harper later asked him: “Did you really think having boys sleep in your room would be approved of in general terms?”

Kelly: “No, but at St Ninian’s I just thought of it as the way it was.”

Farrell initially moved to England when St Ninian’s shut, but soon returned to Scotland where he was ordained as a priest.

He went on to be based at a number of chapels across Lanarkshire, latterly in Strathaven.

He was also a chaplain at one time of HMP Shotts.

Farrell retired from the priesthood in 2012 on “health grounds” before initially uprooting to West Sussex.

He denied being a child abuser – insisting he had stuck to a vow of celibacy made when he joined the Christian Brothers. He also has a defence of alibi for some of the charges.

Quizzed about allegations made against him, prosecutor Miss Harper said they would be “remarkable” to make up.

Kelly, now of Plymouth, told the jury: “It is remarkable – it is very shocking.”

Prosecutors had originally listed more than 100 charges involving 35 boys.

Farrell and Kelly were both placed on the sex offenders’ register.

Paul Kelly, left, attending the trial alongside former colleague John Farrell.