Mull man, 90, guilty of abuse

A JUDGE has ruled that a 90-year-old former teacher sexually abused two schoolboys more than 40 years ago.

After an examination of facts at the High Court in Glasgow, judge John Morris QC determined that John Pringle, from Mull, had carried out the indecent assaults on a camping trip.

The offences were committed at a caravan at Arrochar between April 1972 and January 1974.

Pringle was deemed unfit to stand trial and Judge Morris heard the evidence alone, with no jury. He decided there were no reasonable grounds to acquit Pringle.

One of Pringle’s victims, who was 14 at the time, told how he would be plied with alcohol and then abused.

The other victim, who was 13 at the time, said Pringle gave him drink and showed him pornographic magazines before indecently assaulting him.

Prosecutor Kath Harper said: ‘One of the victims came forward because the abuse had been playing on his mind; the other came forward because of the Jimmy Savile revelations. The two men came forward independently within a fortnight of each other.’

The court heard that Pringle, who was a French teacher at Bishopbriggs Academy, took boys away on outward-bound courses.

Judge Morris said after hearing evidence: ‘I find the facts have been established. The witnesses were credible and reliable.’

He deferred sentence on Pringle until next month.

The court heard that Pringle has two convictions for similar incidents. He was jailed in 2008 for sexually abusing pupils. Pringle was also sentenced to 12 months in prison in 2010.