Police probe into horrific abuse at notorious former boarding school

FORMER students who allege they were subjected to horrific physical and sexual abuse at a notorious Devon boarding school in the 1970s and 80s have issued a fresh demand for justice.

- by PAUL GREAVES

Former pupils at Dennington College say their nightmare childhoods at the state-aided boarding school have been ignored for decades.

It comes as Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed it is investigating allegations of sexual abuse at the former college near Barnstaple in the 1970s and 1980s. Police have vowed to uncover the dark history of the school and bring historic offenders to justice.

Victims have carried the psychological scars of what happened to them during their formative years at the college into adulthood. A small number have received compensation but fear their stories have been “brushed under the carpet” and want to cast light on a dark and shameful period of alleged abuse in Devon.

One said: “I was at a boarding school pupil at Dennington College in the 1970s and 80s. This school was prolific in child sex abuse, mental and physical abuse.

“During my time there myself and the other pupils tried to report everything happening only to have everything covered up.”

Dennington College at Swimbridge, near Barnstaple, was known as a boarding school for 'problem boys' during the 1970s and 80s. It later became known as Russell College and received hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money each year.

Local authorities from all over the country sent boys there to be schooled and instil some discipline.

However, doubts started to be raised about how it was run in the 1980s when calls were made to sack the headteacher, John Duggan, over allegations of bizarre punishments handed out to children who stepped out of line. These included throwing buckets of water over semi-naked boys and entertaining them alone in his school flat.

According to one former pupil the atmosphere was toxic. “I was expelled from Dennington College after a physical fight defending myself from John Duggan.”