PRESSURE is being put on one of Scotland’s most expensive fee-paying schools to take more responsibility over alleged historical sexual abuse at its former prep school.
Ex-pupil John Findlay, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder as a result, he believes, of the alleged abuse, said yesterday that Gordonstoun public school in Moray “shouldn’t shirk responsibility”.
Now 37, he claims he suffered the abuse as a 12-year-old at Aberlour House, the former prep school at Gordonstoun, where Prince Charles was educated.
Findlay is angry because it has emerged that teacher Derek Jones, who was sacked after the abuse was reported, went on to teach again in England and then Kenya before dying in a car crash five years ago.
While the case was reported to the police in 1990, Findlay claims his father, Andrew, was persuaded against pursuing any prosecution on the assurance from the school that Jones would never again teach.
“I feel sick now thinking about it – [it’s]a massive blow. ... this person should be punished for this now.”
He added: “I wish nothing ill against the school.
“However, they teach trust and responsibility and therefore by that same element you shouldn’t shirk responsibility.”
He said a former classmate had recently contacted him to claim he also suffered abuse from the same teacher.
Findlay’s call follows a separate case where a rape trial against a teacher at Aberlour collapsed. A scholarship pupil claimed she had been raped on a school camping trip when she was 12.
Other children allegedly heard the assault and the ex pupil – who moved from Aberlour to Gordonstoun’s senior school – claimed she then suffered years of bullying and abuse which only stopped when she tried to kill herself at the age of 16.
The woman did not report the case until 2013 after seeing a Facebook campaign by more than 100 ex-Gordonstoun pupils to put pressure on the school to admit the alleged historical problems it had with abuse, bullying and inadequate child protection.
The case did go to court but collapsed after the accused’s first court appearance when another witness pulled out.
The woman said afterwards that her life “was smashed up for a second time” when the case collapsed.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We can confirm a complaint regarding sex abuse that occurred around 1990 at Aberlour house school was been received.
“The matter was investigated and the individual accused was reported to the Crown Office and the procurator fiscal regarding conduct towards two people. The accused in this matter is deceased.
He added: “We can confirm we received a report about a historical sexual assault that occurred in the 1980s in Aberlour. A 44-year-old man was reported to the procurator fiscal in relation to this incident.”
A Crown Office spokesman said: “We do not have a record of a case against Derek Jones.”
A spokeswoman for Gordonstoun said yesterday: “Cases of historic abuse must be unimaginably distressing and it is absolutely right that any allegation is thoroughly investigated.
“We want to draw lessons from the past and have recently taken a number of steps to proactively address any allegations of historic abuse.”
She pointed out that Aberlour House operated as a separate school at the time and only moved to Gordonstoun in 2004.
With reference to Findlay’s case she said: “We have inherited limited records.
“But we know that once the school was told about the abuse by John and his parents, the then headmaster responded immediately.
“The police were called and Aberlour House helped them with their investigations. [Derek] Jones, the teacher in question, was sacked by Aberlour House in December 1990, having been at the school for three months.
“We understand that it was Aberlour House’s strong intention that Jones would not teach again and steps were taken to add him to the registered offenders’ list.
“It was awful to learn he had been able to hide his past and teach again abroad.
“We are aware that there is another case against Jones and we will help the police with any inquiries in whatever way we can.”
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