Judge blasts school in sex abuse scandal for selfish cover-up

A SCHOOL at the centre of a child sex abuse scandal was guilty of a “disgraceful abdication of responsibility” by prioritising its own reputation over pupils’ safety, a judge stated.

- Richard Elias

As a result, Keil School in West Dunbartonshire became a “remarkable example of naivety and false optimism trumping reality”. The scathing comments were made by Lady Smith, who chairs the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI). She said: “Protection of the reputation of the school was prioritised over the interests of children. The prevailing culture allowed two paedophiles to operate without fear of discovery.

“One, William Bain, was a physics teacher and house tutor who, whilst employed at Keil between 1987 and 2000, groomed and sexually abused many children. He sexually abused some children on hundreds of occasions and did so almost daily.”

Publication of Lady Smith’s findings had been due to take place earlier this year. However, it was delayed until the outcome of proceedings against Bain. He faced multiple charges of sexually abusing children at a number of schools in Scotland, including Keil.

Two months ago at the High Court in Glasgow, Bain was sentenced to nine years in jail. He had previously received six-and-a-half years in May 2016 for similar offences.