BishopAccountability.org

Former teacher at Trent Vale school abused troubled boys at previous school in Scotland

By Kathie Mcinnes
Stoke Sentinel
July 26, 2016

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/former-teacher-at-trent-vale-school-abused-troubled-boys-at-previous-school-in-scotland/story-29549418-detail/story.html

Paul Kelly was found guilty after a 13-week trial at Glasgow High Court

STAFF at a Stoke-on-Trent school said today they were 'horrified' to discover a former teacher had abused pupils at a previous school where he worked more than three decades ago.

Paul Kelly had preyed on boys at a St Ninian's School in Falkland, Fife, which educated youngsters from troubled backgrounds.

But the offences may never have come to light had it not been for the tenacity of one victim, who made a complaint to diocesan officials in 2013.

It led to one of the biggest abuse inquiries of its kind to be carried out by Police Scotland, with Kelly among several former staff to be charged with sex offences.

Altogether, 35 men came forward to make allegations.

Kelly was convicted at Glasgow's High Court last week of four counts of indecent assault and three of assault, but cleared of a further 22 charges.

St Ninian's School had been run by the Catholic organisation, the Christian Brothers, until its closure in 1983.

Kelly later went on to land a job at another Christian Brothers school – St Joseph's College in Trent Vale – where he taught French from the late 1980s to early 1990s.

Today, headteacher Roisin Maguire stressed St Joseph's had never received any allegations about his conduct.

She said: "As teachers who are entrusted to educate and care for our young people, we are horrified by anyone who would harm a child."

The court heard 65-year-old Kelly and 73-year-old John Farrell, the former head of St Ninian's, had carried out their reign of abuse between 1979 and 1983.


Their victims were aged between 11 and 15.

Kelly had served as house master and lived on site.

His bedroom was described as an 'open area' where pupils often stayed the night.

He told them he was giving them a 'sexual education'.

During a 13-week trial, Kelly denied targeting the pupils, claiming he spent his free time 'reading Tolkein'.

Prosecutor Kath Harper asked him: "Did you really think having boys sleep in your room would be approved of?"

Kelly replied: "No, but at St Ninian I just thought of it as the way it was."

Kelly, of Plymouth, was found guilty of sexually abusing two boys and of sexually and physically abusing a third.

The incidents included him hitting a boy's head against a sink. He also made pupils perform sexual acts on themselves, each other and on him.

Charges against three other men were dropped.

Farrell, of North Lanarkshire, was found guilty of physically abusing one boy and sexually abusing three others.

He and Kelly will be sentenced next month.

An NSPCC spokesman said: "Abuse can ruin childhoods and Kelly and Farrell exploited their positions of trust to cynically target vulnerable children."

A Staffordshire Police spokesman today advised anyone with concerns to contact the force.

A spokesman added: "Information received will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly."

People can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

 




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