Former PE teacher in 27-year campaign of abuse against pupils at Edinburgh Academy

John Young indecently assaulted three children by pulling their shorts aside and exposing their genitals while he was in charge of the PE department at the Edinburgh Academy.

Young, a former international rugby referee, also assaulted pupils in his care by punching and slapping them and beat them with implements including a cricket bat and a megaphone.

John Young was former head of PE at Edinburgh Academy | Alex Lawrie

Young, now aged 91, was also found to have used lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards several children by striking their genitals with a towel, seizing one child’s genitals and compressing and grabbing pupils’ hands to wash their genitals.

All the offences were committed while Young was head of physical education at the Edinburgh Academy, between August 1966 and December 1993.

Evidence was heard from 24 former pupils during the hearing. Many told how they continue to be traumatised and struggle to trust figures of authority because of the abuse they suffered.

One witness told how he had suffered a spinal injury during a rugby match but was forced by the teacher to participate in a PE class where he had to pick up heavy weights.

The man, now in his 50s, said he was aged between 12 and 15 at the time and had been caused “substantial pain” and the activity had caused his injury to worsen.

Young was due to stand trial in front of a jury to face 54 charges including using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices, indecent assault, assault and committing a breach of the peace at Edinburgh Sheriff Court this month.

But the court determined the former teacher was physically unfit to stand trial due and an Examination of Facts hearing has been held in his absence over the past three weeks.

Young, from Edinburgh, denied all the allegations against him that involved pupils aged between seven and 18-years-old.

The court hearing heard evidence from Crown witnesses who detailed the abuse they had suffered at the hands of Young while they were pupils at the school.

During her 75 minute closing submission to the court, prosecutor Joanna Waller told the court Young had committed “a serious abuse of trust” and had “deliberately targeted pupils to cause emotional and physical pain”.

Ms Waller said although corporal punishment was lawful at the time Young had carried out “acts of casual violence” towards the children in his care.

The fiscal depute added: “These are not acts of legitimate discipline and are simply assault.

“The course of conduct relating to the abuse and violence was intended to frighten, intimidate and humiliate the children that John Young did not like.”

Sheriff Iain Nicol gave his deliberations to the court on Monday, where he said the facts relating to a total of 26 charges had been proved beyond reasonable doubt. The sheriff acquitted Young on the remaining 28 allegations.

In his lengthy summing up, Sheriff Nicol commended the victims for their “fortitude and courage” while giving evidence to the court.

Sheriff Nicol said: “It will no doubt be frustrating to the complainers that there will be no sentence passed on Mr Young as he has been declared unfit to stand trial on physical health grounds.

“Effectively the only issue to consider is whether I place him on the sex offenders register in regard to the nature of the charges I have found to be proven.”

The sheriff said it was “a discretionary matter” for him to place Young on the register but decided there was “absolutely no practical purpose whatsoever in this case and I decline to do so”.

The facts relating to 10 assault charges, three of indecent assault, four of committing a breach of the peace, eight relating to lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and one of cruel and unnatural treatment were all found to have been proved.

The Edinburgh Academy has previously been the subject of investigations by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.

An Examination of Facts hearing was held at the Capital’s sheriff court last year after another former teacher, John Brownlee, was deemed medically unfit to stand trial.

The hearing heard from 42 former pupils who told the court of the physical and emotional abuse they had suffered at the hands of Brownlee.

Following the evidence, a sheriff ruled that Brownlee had repeatedly committed a number of violent assaults against children aged between 8 and 11. The sheriff found 31 charges to have been proved that included “cruel and unnatural acts” while he was employed at the school.

Brownlee was found to have assaulted children with implements, such as a cricket bat, a snooker cue, a clacken, and a leather strap. He brutally attacked pupils in his care by slapping, kicking and punching them with some left unconscious as a result of attacks upon them.

Former pupils of the school include author Robert Louis Stevenson, actor Iain Glen, Coldplay musician Guy Berryman and BBC broadcasters Magnus Magnusson and Nicky Campbell.

Prosecutor Fiona Kirkby, of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service consistently and successfully strives to secure justice for those affected by non-recent abuse.

“John Young systematically abused young boys, over a period of 27 years, while holding a significant position of trust as their teacher at the Edinburgh Academy.

“He had a duty of care to nurture and support these children but instead intentionally exploited his power to violate and humiliate them.

“This Examination of Facts is a public airing of the facts and an acknowledgement that what happened to these children in the past was criminal. It should never have occurred.

“It is now a matter of public record that Young committed offences including lewd and libidinous behaviour, indecent assault and cruel and unnatural treatment.

“The court’s finding also sends a clear message to abusers: no matter who you are, when the abuse happened or how long after the event it is reported, there will be a robust response from prosecutors.”