Landmark payout in Scottish school abuse claim

The first survivor to sue a top boarding school over significant child abuse claims has secured a six-figure payout.

Angus Bell, 44, waived his right to anonymity and called the out-of-court deal a “monumental victory”.

He alleged that teachers turned a blind eye as pupils were both physically and sexually assaulted by other children at private Loretto School in Musselburgh, East Lothian.

He said that children were "set on fire, beaten with cricket bats and strangled" in a "madhouse" of violence and psychological abuse at the School during the 1990s.

A civil trial, believed to be the first in Scotland involving pupil-on-pupil abuse, was set for next month with 12 former Loretto pupils and four ex-teachers due to give their testimonies but, last week, Mr Bell agreed to the a settlement with representatives from the prestigious private school.

He hailed the outcome as a “monumental victory for children’s welfare” after a 34-year fight for justice.

Mr Bell said: “What happened at Loretto was a disgrace. It was a madhouse of violence and psychological abuse, rampant with sexualised acts of depravity.

“Children were locked in trunks and launched down stairs, set on fire, beaten with cricket bats and hockey sticks, dragged from their beds at night and thrown into cold baths on their birthdays, stripped naked and strapped to trees, strangled, crushed under furniture, and subjected to hourly emotional abuse.

“The school knew abuse was happening and all too often chose to look the other way. And at no point has Loretto contacted me to apologise - not even after I gave evidence at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.

“But finally, outsiders know what happened within those walls. Finally, the school has been held to account.

“The daily abuse I suffered at Loretto, from eight years of unchecked, harrowing peer-on-peer assaults, has been life-changing.”

The landmark legal action against Loretto first emerged in November 2023.

Mr Bell, who now lives in Canada, claimed that he was abused by older pupils while attending the independent school in the 1990s.

He compared every day he was at Loretto to being “a cross between The Purge and The Running Man – it was eight years in hell.”

Mr Bell added: “I want to give special thanks to those who had the courage to support me. Particular praise must go to English teacher David Stock, whose career was terminated for confronting the Loretto authorities about the widespread culture of physical, sexual and psychological abuse in 1991.

“There is still much work to be done and I will continue to support fellow survivors as it is vital the truth continues to be heard so current and future generations of children are protected.”

Loretto, established in 1827, offers boarding and day schooling for boys and girls aged three to 18 years old, with annual fees costing up to nearly £50,000.

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry found that ex-pupils experienced emotional, physical and sexual harm at the school.

Spokesperson and head of the School, Peter Richardson, said: “We can confirm that the matter has been resolved in terms agreed with Mr Bell. Whilst we do not intend to comment on the detail of matters raised by Mr Bell, what has been averred in the Court action is not congruent with our understanding of the experience of others at Loretto at that time.

“The whole question of behaviours in Loretto over the years has been considered in detail by SCAI. We continue to support the work of SCAI and, where wrongdoing has been recognised in the past, we have made an unreserved apology – we would encourage anyone with an interest in this matter to look at the excellent work done by SCAI.

“In the Loretto of today, child protection, wellbeing and the happiness of all pupils is our top priority.”