John Brownlee, a former teacher at Edinburgh Academy, has been ruled to have abused boys as young as eight years old by a sheriff. The abuse, which lasted for 20 years starting in the 1960s, targeted former pupils, including BBC presenter Nicky Campbell. Those who knew Brownlee described him as a sadistic “psychopath.”
Despite the ruling, no punitive action will be taken against the 89-year-old teacher as he was deemed medically unfit to stand trial. Brownlee suffered from dementia and other physical ailments which prevented his trial from moving forward. Instead, an examination of facts hearing was conducted, which allowed both the Crown and defence to present evidence before a sheriff.
Graeme Sneddon from the Edinburgh Academy Survivors Group spoke outside the court about the life-long impact Brownlee’s abuse had on his victims. He referred to Brownlee as a “violent monster” who had caused irreparable damage.
In a statement after the hearing, Campbell described Brownlee as a relentless, cruel, and violent man. The former student attended the fee-paying school from 1966 to 1978. The case is another instance of historic abuse being brought to light in the UK. These cases have shown the need for a better system to hold abusers responsible for their actions, even if a significant amount of time has passed since the abuse occurred
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