Blair’s alma mater to pay millions to abused pupils
ONE of Scotland’s most prestigious private schools is braced to pay a seven-figure sum in compensation for sexual and physical abuse suffered by former pupils.
Fettes College, which recently made a public apology to victims who gave evidence at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, is negotiating the size of settlements for assaults described as ‘shocking and life-changing’.
It is understood at least 20 former pupils have raised actions for damages against the school, whose alumni include ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair and actress Tilda Swinton.
More than a dozen were abused by the same former teachers. They claim the Edinburgh school failed to protect them.
Many told their devastating stories to the abuse inquiry, set up in 2015. It heard evidence of a culture of non-intervention. A claim lodged last year was for £1 million, with interest from 1975, to account for sexual and physical abuse and its lasting effects, including psychological damage and lost earnings.
A source close to the negotiations said: ‘The school accepted liability and apologised.’
One witness, ‘James’, who was at Fettes in the 1970s, said senior pupils were allowed to beat younger children but staff never intervened. Another witness, ‘Ben’, told the inquiry about a maths teacher, ‘Edgar’, who smashed boys’ heads off a desk if they gave a wrong answer.
The retired teacher at the centre of many of the claims cannot be named for legal reasons. One witness shared his terrifying ordeal at the teacher’s hands with The Scottish Mail on Sunday.
He was beaten unconscious, aged 12, and spent ten days recovering in the school’s sanatorium. Fettes took no action against the man, who fondled him and others at his desk.
The witness recalls being dragged into a cloakroom where he was punched, smashed against a wall and battered with a shoe.
He said his shorts were removed in the attack. The witness said Fettes told his parents he had been injured playing rugby.
Fettes’ compensation bill is expected to hit seven figures because of the number of victims.
Laura Connor, of Thompsons Solicitors, said: ‘We are determined to secure the maximum financial compensation for the survivors.’
Kim Leslie, partner at Digby Brown, said: ‘We are acting for several survivors affected by shocking and life-changing attacks.’
A school spokesman said: ‘Fettes College takes all claims of child abuse extremely seriously and has co-operated fully with all relevant authorities.’