50 ‘old Boys’ Speak out in School Abuse Probe

Manchester Evening News
January 28, 2013

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/50-old-boys-speak-out-1249474

St Ambrose College, Hale Barns

A police sex abuse probe at a top Catholic school has now uncovered more than 50 possible victims and witnesses.

As the sheer scale of the investigation became apparent, the detective leading the enquiry into St Ambrose College in Hale Barns said he was determined to ensure ‘justice is done’.

Police have received a steady stream of former pupils alleging they were sexually abused by teachers from the school since the M.E.N. exclusively revealed the probe last year.

Some ‘old boys’ who have been in touch with officers have alleged they were molested both in the school and at the homes of teachers.

Others have come forward as witnesses to alleged abuse.

The police investigation has uncovered at least five former teachers against whom allegations have been made.

One former teacher has already been arrested and released on bail pending further enquiries.

The police investigation is concentrating on a period between 1962 and to the 1990s.

It is understood some allegations were made by pupils at the time but they had second thoughts about pursuing their grievances.

Former pupils who have now come forward say they were sexually abused while they were being given corporal punishment.

No current teachers have been implicated in any of the allegations being investigated.

One ‘old boy’ told the M.E.N: “All the school friends I have spoken to are expressing a degree of surprise it has taken so long for this to come out.

“There was questionable behaviour going on from members of staff. Most people were aware of it. But, obviously, times have changed since the Jimmy Savile scandal.

“The size of the police investigation just shows how this spans generations. These are not just one-off incidents. There was a culture of violence over several years.”

Det Insp Jed Pidd said: “We have received dozens of calls from former pupils reporting historic sexual abuse. Reporting such matters is clearly a very difficult and distressing thing to do and we are working hard to support them.

“We are determined to identify any offenders and have a dedicated team of officers working towards one primary objective: to ensure justice is done.

“It would not be appropriate to divulge the number of potential victims at this time, but they and the wider public can be reassured that we are working closely with the CPS to ensure this wide-reaching investigation is dealt with thoroughly and as quickly as possible.

“These are historic allegations with the date of the last alleged incident being in the 1990s, and the school has and continues to provide every support and cooperation with this investigation that it can.”