Teacher abused and beat me at Blair’s old school, says ex-pupil
A FORMER pupil at one of Scotland’s most prestigious private schools has revealed his terrifying ordeal at the hands of a teacher who beat him unconscious.
George Scott, now 55, told how he was only 12 when he was attacked at Fettes College in Edinburgh.
He said he was punched all over the face and body and repeatedly thrown against a wall, and had to spend ten days recovering from his injuries in the school sanatorium.
Fettes – which counts former prime minister Tony Blair among its alumni and charges fees of up to £12,165 per term – took no action against the teacher.
Mr Scott learned a year ago that police were investigating claims by several ex-pupils that the same man had abused them.
But his hopes of justice have been dashed once more after the Crown Office chose not to pursue the case.
Officials told Mr Scott and the other accusers that the teacher, now living in South Africa, cannot be brought back to Scotland, despite admitting there are clear grounds for prosecution. Last night Mr Scott, who now lives on Skye, said: ‘Initially, I felt sick, and then as I thought about it, I felt angry.
‘That man had a monumental impact on my life. I don’t care how many years have passed or how old he is, I wanted to see him in the dock of the High Court.
‘The school also has much to answer for because the regime did not put care of children first.’
At the school, he claims, the teacher groped pupils, including Mr Scott, at their desks and he was beaten after apparently being caught in a ‘minor transgression’.
As an adult, Mr Scott worked for the Crown Prosecution Service in England and also at Westminster providing legal advice to former Liberal Democrat leaders Vince Cable and Jo Swinson, while the party was in coalition government with David Cameron’s Tories.
However, he feels the trauma of the attacks he suffered as a boy meant he never achieved his potential. When the ongoing Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry was announced, Mr Scott gave a statement to investigators about his experiences.
He also decided to contact the police, who reassured him a criminal investigation was already being conducted as several pupils had also accused the teacher of physical and sexual abuse.
Last month, however, Mr Scott and other former pupils received letters from the Crown saying it would take no further action.
The teacher’s age and health, plus complications relating to the pandemic, were reasons for not proceeding with extradition.
The Crown also said South African law has a time-bar on sexual assault claims. A Crown Office spokesman said: ‘In order to protect any potential proceedings and to preserve the rights of the complainers, the Crown will not comment further at this stage.’
A spokesman for the school said: ‘Fettes College takes claims of non-recent child abuse extremely seriously and we would encourage anyone with an allegation to contact Police Scotland and the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.’