Writer says he has fi le of over 800 child abuse allegations at schools

The presenter of a Radio 4 series giving a platform to people who suffered abuse in British independent schools has revealed he has a database of more than 800 criminal allegations from former schoolchildren who have contacted him with their own stories.

- Amelia Hill

Alex Renton decided to speak out about the abuse he suffered at one of the country’s most elite private schools in 2013, after reading an article that made him realise his abusers could still be teaching – and hurting other children.

Renton thought he had come to terms with the abuse he experienced but realised he owed it to others “who might need revenge, relief from the history – or money” to give them his support.

Since that day, Renton has helped hundreds of fellow survivors of abuse through direct support, his books and now a radio series, In Dark Corners .

As a result of his work, Renton has been in undated with allegations from former schoolchildren from 300 mainly private boarding schools.

In Dark Corners prompted the TV presenter Nicky Campbell to speak out about the “horrific” abuse he experienced and witnessed during his days as a private schoolboy at the fee-paying Edinburgh Academy in the 1970s. Now, following Campbell’s comments, even more people have been in touch.

“I have 50 new emails containing criminal allegations that require serious attention from me,” Renton said . But it i s not just the numbers involved: he was horrified by the “vicious” lengths to which schools go to avoid being held to account for the historical sexual abuse that went on behind their gates.