Former pupil’s film about Altrincham teacher’s sex abuse trial wins Royal Television Society award

By David Prior
Altrincham Today
November 18, 2015

http://altrincham.today/2015/11/18/former-pupils-film-about-altrincham-teachers-sex-abuse-trial-wins-royal-television-society-award/

Pictured above (l to r) are Helen Tonge from Title Role, DC Nicola Graham, David Nolan, Granada head of news Lucy West and Ian Bradshaw from Title Role.

A groundbreaking film about the sex abuse trial of a former Altrincham schoolteacher has won a Royal Television Society award.

The report was broadcast on Granada Reports on the day Alan Morris, a former chemistry teacher at St Ambrose College in Hale Barns, was jailed for nine years for decades of abuse.

And now the team behind it has been recognised with the prize for Best Regional Story at the Royal Television Society North West awards, held in Manchester on Saturday.

The idea for the story had originated from David Nolan, a former St Ambrose pupil and Morris victim who waived his right to give evidence at the trial in order to produce the behind-the-scenes film, which included unprecedented access to the police and victims involved in the trial – and even saw Nolan confront Morris outside Manchester Minshull Street Court.

He and production company Title Role worked closely with police officers based at Altrincham Police Station, including DC Nicola Graham, as well as dozens of former schoolboys who had come forward to tell their story of abuse at the hands of Morris, who had subsequently gone on to be a member of the clergy at Holy Angels church in Hale Barns.

Nolan told us: “This is a great award to win but it was a terrible thing that happened at St Ambrose. I think the award is really in recognition of the ex pupils who came forward and spoke about what happened to them. That was an amazing thing to do.”

Nolan has gone on to turn his experience of the trial into a book, Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil.