Edinburgh Academy pupils suffered decades of 'dreadful abuse', inquiry finds

The inquiry, chaired by Lady Smith, heard evidence from nearly 50 witnesses including broadcaster Nicky Campbell, who said one teacher had abused children on an 'industrial scale'. The report covers claims of historical abuse against 20 teaching staff, most relating to the period between 1954 and 1995.

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry was set up in 2015 to look at the abuse of children in care in Scotland. This is the 17th volume of its findings and the eighth in its boarding schools case study, based on evidence hearings between November 2021 and August 2023.

Publishing her findings, Lady Smith said the school 'failed to look at itself through a realistic and critical lens' for decades. 'It is clear it was assumed that abuse did not and would not take place,' she said. 'When it did, the school could not accept that it had happened, failed to address it, and failed to recognise the risk of it continuing. Complacency was the order of the day.'

The report names four serial perpetrators: Hamish Dawson, a housemaster and senior school teacher who died in 2009; John Brownlee, a housemaster and deputy head of the junior school; prep school teacher Iain Wares, awaiting extradition from South Africa on 90 historical sexual abuse charges; and physics teacher William Bain, a twice-convicted sex offender who began abusing at the academy before harming children elsewhere. Brownlee was ruled in 2024 to have committed 'cruel and unnatural acts' of physical and emotional abuse but was deemed medically unfit to stand trial.

Former pupil Henry, who used a pseudonym, told the inquiry abuse was part of daily life. He said it was normal for 11-year-olds to be groomed with jelly babies and for them to be molested in front of other pupils. He described children being kicked, hit and strangled to the point of unconsciousness, and physical punishment inflicted with a plank of wood for no good reason. He said 'flagrant racism, sexism, homophobia' was ignored, with no safeguarding or pastoral care.

Sexual abuse spanned four decades, from the 1950s to the 1980s. Physical abuse was 'normalised', and children in the Prep School were regularly beaten until corporal punishment was abolished in 1988. Following the introduction of co-education in the sixth form, girls experienced 'unpleasant and abusive misogyny'. Homophobia was rife, and racism included anti-English sentiment and abuse of Jewish children and children of colour.

The report says as recently as 2001 the school's Court of Directors focused on its reputation rather than how life actually was for pupils. Dawson's 'eccentric' classroom behaviour was 'celebrated by the school', and the 'instruments of correction' he had used to abuse pupils were auctioned on his departure.

Edinburgh Academy's rector, Barry Welsh, said the report made for 'sombre reading' that reinforced 'the remarkable bravery shown by our former pupils who have given evidence'. He reiterated a 'sincere apology' and said the school had an 'unwavering' commitment to facing the wrongs of the past.

The Edinburgh Academy Survivors Group welcomed the findings and thanked Lady Smith for an 'accurate and thoughtful account of the events we endured as children'.

Laura Connor, a partner with Thompsons Solicitors Scotland representing many survivors, said the current school leadership had 'behaved in a very difficult and uncooperative way in settling civil claims for those who were abused' and said they were waiting to see remaining perpetrators yet to be brought to justice appear in a Scottish court.

Campbell said his overwhelming feeling about the report was sadness for the victims, and the effects of school abuse were 'lifelong'. He warned: 'Although the 1970s might seem to be the dark ages, it's still happening in different places in different ways.' He said the approach to such matters must be 'relentlessly child-centred'.