Details
Ref: Abuse at Celtic Boys’ Club & Football Youth clubs across Scotland across many clubs
Period: 1970s-1990’s
Background
This is a topic that must be handled with deep respect and sensitivity.
Sadly, due to the tribal nature of sport, there have been plenty of supporters at other clubs who have used this topic to try to bludgeon Celtic over allegations, without the admission or realisation that the same scenario sadly occurred across many other clubs (including possibly their own). It was a different era, and as reflected across various fields (in particular in the media at the BBC with Jimmy Saville and other celebrities), there have been many other abuse scandals on a far wider scale.
It is always easy to say in retrospect what should have been done, we must learn from the errors made in the past so they are not repeated, and that goes for all clubs and organisations. The mental scars for many never heal.
It is hard to judge a past era by the ethics, practices & controls of another (such as now), but this is an area that has been poorly managed by many clubs including our own. Celtic has a good well-earned reputation for charity and its humane culture, but these events highlight that there were failings made with major consequences, therefore greater vigilance must always be made, especially with youth.
The Celtic Boys Club where the events occurred actually was a separate entity run fully independently to Celtic, however there have been close relations between the staff, similar as has been the case with other boys clubs across Scotland with Celtic. It wasn’t an uncommon practise in less commercially minded and sometimes more naive & mismanaged times.
Everyone is innocent until guilt is proven, and that should be the case with all people even in these cases, but it should also be investigated in order that justice prevails. It is hard or wrong to pinpoint on any management alone, and some people have had their careers tarnished by the allegations. That though is no excuse, and as said, we must ensure this is not repeated in any form.
The club has since the 1990s had in place stronger controls in related organisations to work to ensure that there is no repeat of these events, but vigilance, tolerance and understanding from all of us is also needed especially for the children.
To all those affected, our deepest sympathies and we owe all our genuine respect for their privacy and a helping hand where it is needed.
Quotes
“I will say this again. This is NOT about what team you support or where your allegiance lies. This is about children that were sexually abused whilst playing the game they love and having their life’s destroyed, my brother being one of them. It’s time for the truth!!”
Michelle Gray @michellegray75 (sister of a victim on Twitter)
Support Links
- Confidential NSPCC 24-hour helpline: 0800 023 2642
- Email to the Scottish FA: childrenswellbeing@scottishfa.co.uk
Links
- McCluskey, John – Striker – 1973-79
- Final Independent Report into non-recent sexual abuse in Scottish football published (2011)
- KDS Forum (Sep 2023)
Articles
New allegations in football abuse scandal
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-39553258
By Mark Daly
BBC Scotland Investigations Correspondent
Fresh allegations of child sex abuse have been made against the founder of Celtic Boys’ Club, a BBC Scotland investigation has revealed.
New alleged victims of Jim Torbett have come forward claiming he sexually abused them during the 1980s and 90s.
Torbett “vehemently denies” the allegations against him.
The investigation also reveals new claims about former Hibernian and Rangers coach Gordon Neely, who died in 2014.
An alleged victim claims he was repeatedly raped by Neely from the age of 11. It has also been claimed that when allegations of abuse surfaced, Neely was sacked from Hibs but the police were not informed.
He then joined Rangers where it is claimed he began abusing boys there. Rangers also sacked him over alleged abuse. The club claims it informed the police.
The allegations about Torbett and Neely are made in a BBC programme Football Abuse: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game, to be screened on Monday.
They include:
- New evidence that the reasons for Torbett leaving Celtic Boys’ Club in 1974 were covered up
- Claims that Torbett was allowed to return to the Boys’ Club despite being sacked for abuse
- The first evidence from former Celtic Boys’ Club players claiming they were abused by Torbett in his second spell at the Boys’ Club during the 1980s and 90s
- New evidence that Neely abused boys at Edinburgh youth teams and top flight clubs including Hibs and Rangers from 1980 until 1998
- Missed opportunities by football clubs and the authorities to stop Neely’s abuse
Celtic Boys’ Club was founded by Jim Torbett in 1966 with the permission of the then Celtic FC manager, the late Jock Stein and former chairman Sir Robert Kelly.
It was created as a separate entity from the football club, but it has been closely linked throughout its history and acted as a feeder club, producing a string of Celtic greats including Roy Aitken, Paul McStay and Tommy Burns.
Torbett had two stints at the Boys’ Club, the first from 1966-1974. He returned to the Boy’s Club around 1980 and stayed until a series of Daily Record stories revealed abuse claims against him in 1996.
He was jailed for two years in 1998 on conviction of abusing three former Celtic Boys’ Club players, including former Scotland international Alan Brazil, between 1967-74.
At the trial, former Celtic photographer and Boys’ Club chairman Hugh Birt claimed Torbett was fired in 1974 after child abuse allegations arose.
‘Became a hero’
Birt, who died four years ago, told the court Stein, then honorary president of the Boys’ Club, sacked Torbett as a result of the abuse claims.
The BBC has spoken to three additional sources close to the events in the 1970s who support Birt’s evidence to court that Torbett was ejected from the Boys’ Club by Stein, following complaints of child abuse.
Stein was then the Celtic manager as well as honorary president of the Boys’ Club.
Torbett returned to the Boys’ Club in around 1980 after Stein had left Parkhead. But no allegations against Torbett in his second period at the Boys’ Club have surfaced – until now.
Kenny Campbell, now 44, joined Celtic Boy’s Club in 1985 as a 13-year-old. A year later, he joined the U-14s, which was managed by Torbett.
He said Torbett took a special interest in him and won the trust of his parents.
Kenny told BBC Scotland: “Pretty quickly he became a hero of mine. In my mind he was doing good things [for me].
“I’d have jumped in front of a bus for him if he had asked me, guaranteed. So it was as if he had a hold over us.”
He said Torbett began the abuse while he was sitting on the couch with him one night.
Kenny said this was the beginning of up to four years of sexual abuse at the hands of Torbett, which carried on even after he was signed by the senior Celtic team.
The young player didn’t tell anyone: “I just thought it was natural. I just thought that was what happened,” he said.
Kenny made about 20 appearances for the reserves at Celtic but illness effectively ended his Celtic career. His life spiralled into drink and drugs, but he is now clean and sober.
He said he was angry that Torbett was allowed to return to Celtic Boys’ Club despite previous abuse claims.
“I feel aggrieved at that, eh, if they had never let him back in it would … never happened in the first place, I could have had a normal life, normal people round about me. If Celtic had done their due diligence … it wouldn’t have happened to me.”
The BBC has spoken to a second former Celtic Boys’ Club player who alleges he was abused by Torbett for three years from 1990.
Torbett’s lawyer told the BBC he “vehemently denies these completely false allegations”.
He added: “Clearly allegations of this kind must remain in the hands of the police and due process of the law must be followed here.”
In a statement, Celtic FC said the club was “fully committed to safeguarding children”.
Presented with award
The statement went on: “Celtic Boys’ Club was separate and distinct organisation from Celtic Football Club. It was vital that justice was served at that time, due to the extremely serious nature of this issue.”
The statement added that anyone with any concerns should contact the club.
The BBC has discovered what appears to be the “official” account of why Torbett left the Boys’ Club in the archives of The Celtic View, which was the sanctioned, in-house magazine for Celtic FC.
Dated November 1974, the report is headlined: “Jim bows out…after another season of glory.” It states that Torbett was leaving for his own personal and business reasons and is a glowing tribute to his time at the Boys’ Club. There is no mention of abuse allegations.
The BBC understands the police were never called.
The Celtic View archives also reveal that in 1977, three years after he allegedly threw Torbett out of the Boys’ Club, Jock Stein was pictured presenting Torbett with an award recognising his services to Celtic Boys’ Club.
Jock Stein (left) presented Torbett (centre) with an award three years after he allegedly threw him out of the club.
On the same evening, according to the archives, Stein made way for Celtic board member Kevin Kelly as honorary president of the Boys’ Club.
Birt would tell the court in 1998 that he attempted to prevent Torbett returning to the Boys’ Club and raised the issue with Celtic board members, including Kevin Kelly.
Two other sources have told the BBC that when Torbett was allowed to return to the Boys’ Club in around 1980, Mr Kelly would have been aware of the previous claims of abuse against Torbett.
Mr Torbett’s company The Trophy Centre had a lucrative contract with Celtic to provide branded merchandising.
Mr Kelly and Jack McGinn, a Celtic FC director from 1981, worked with Mr Torbett at his Trophy Centre business from 1986 and 1998 respectively. Their associations with the company continued long after Torbett was jailed for abuse.
Mr Kelly strongly denies being aware of allegations concerning Torbett when he returned to the Boys’ Club, and told the BBC that he was not aware of any previous allegations against Torbett until his court case in the 1990s.
Jack McGinn, a Celtic FC director from 1981, also denies any previous knowledge of Mr Torbett’s offending prior to his second spell at the Boys’ club.
Both Mr Kelly and Mr McGinn said that if they had been aware of Mr Torbett’s prior offending, they would have done all they could to prevent him returning to Celtic Boys’ Club.
‘I was raped’
Jon Cleland, an alleged victim of Gordon Neely, was a prodigious talent. In around 1981, at the age of 10, he joined Hutchison Vale FC, the Edinburgh football talent factory known for producing players like John Collins, Allan Preston and Leigh Griffiths.
Neely was one of the coaches at the club. He was known for an ability to spot and develop youth talent, and was well thought of in Edinburgh football circles.
Jon says he was soon targeted by Neely, and subjected to 18 months of serious sexual abuse.
Describing his first assault at Neely’s hands, he said: “He took me into a room at the back of our hall and told me to take my shorts down and he put me over his knee and he proceeded to spank me… I had done something wrong and it was my punishment. [I] didn’t tell anyone.”
Jon’s silence seemed to be Neely’s cue to escalate the abuse. Jon was 11 at the time.
He told BBC Scotland: “He said I looked like I had had an injury… then he asked me to lean over a desk, and that’s when I was raped.
“At that age, hadn’t a clue what was going on.”
Jon said he was raped around 10 times over the next 18 months. Asked if he had been able to tell anyone, he said: “No. I couldn’t have possibly at that age. I thought it was my fault. I thought I had done something wrong.”
Jon began training with Hibs, but Neely was driving him to training, and abusing him in the car beforehand.
He said: “It was at that point that I couldn’t do it, couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t face going to football training.”
Jon said he gave up football to escape the abuse.
Neely took up a youth development position with Hibs in around 1983. In about 1986, abuse allegations concerning him were put to the late Hibs chairman Kenny Waugh.
Sports reporter Ray Hepburn told the BBC Waugh had confided in him.
Mr Hepburn said: “He said ‘we’ve had complaints by two sets of parents about Gordon Neely. And his behaviour with some of the boys’.
“And of course it was quite devastating news. He went on to explain that he had sacked him that day, had reassured the parents by dealing with it in a very speedy and decisive way. And that was kind of the way people did things then.”
The BBC has also spoken to the then Hibs manager John Blackley who confirmed Hepburn’s story that Waugh had been made aware of complaints.
The police were never involved. Nor did anyone at Hibs warn Rangers about Neely’s behaviour.
Twenty whacks
In a statement, Hibs said it was “saddened to be told that personnel at the club at the time were allegedly made aware of concerns about Neely and, again allegedly, did not contact the police.
“[This] is something which current policies and practices would prevent from happening today,” the statement said.
Neely then moved to Rangers in 1986, where BBC Scotland learned the abuse continued.
One former player told the programme: “He had his own office inside Ibrox and he’d call you in and he’d make you close the door.
“He’d pull your shorts and pants down and then he’d spank you with like this rubber shoe. I mean I wasn’t the only one. He’d give you 10 or twenty whacks for anything. I was only about 13.”
The programme also features claims from former Clydebank and Rangers player Levi Stephen (pictured now and as a boy) about a third alleged perpetrator
Rangers told us it was aware of an alleged incident more than 25 years ago involving Neely, sacked him and informed the police.
Police Scotland told the BBC they were unable to confirm whether Rangers made a complaint or not, despite Freedom of Information requests.
The BBC also asked surviving senior executives and football personnel who were at Rangers at that time, for more details – but received none. The Crown was unable to find details of a report being sent to the fiscal in relation to a complaint about Neely in 1990.
In a statement Rangers said: “It is understood the individual was dismissed immediately and that the police were informed.
“All employees adhered to the strictest codes of conduct.”
The club added that it would “always co-operate fully” with the authorities.”
Several opportunities to put an end to Neely’s abuse were wasted, according to BBC Scotland’s investigation, and Neely simply changed tactics, by reinventing himself as coach doing one-to-one training and activity weekends in Dunkeld, and nearby Dalguise, in Perthshire for young footballers.
One-to-one coaching
A decade after Hibs sacked him, and more than five years after Rangers got rid of him it is alleged Neely was still abusing.
“Paul,” (not his real name), told BBC Scotland: “I was playing with one of the Edinburgh clubs [around 1995] and a man came up to me after a match. It was Gordon Neely. And he said he could make me a better player, and I needed some one-to-one coaching. Said he knew all the big players and managers. He was impressive.
“So every other weekend I’d go up to Dunkeld. He told me I had a condition that was hampering me. And that he could help me with it.”
Paul was then abused by Neely.
“I knew it was wrong,” he said. “It went on for about 10 minutes each time but I couldn’t do anything. I just froze.
“I didn’t want to complain because I thought it would ruin the chances of me getting the trial he’d promised me. So I just put up with it.… for almost three years.”
Gordon Neely died in 2014.
The programme also features claims from former Clydebank and Rangers player Levi Stephen about a third alleged perpetrator.
Stewart Regan, the chief executive of the Scottish FA said an independent review into allegations of historic child sexual abuse in Scottish football was under way.
“We await its findings,” he added.
“The latest allegations are a matter for the investigatory authority, Police Scotland.
“We would urge anyone who has suffered abuse to come forward using the dedicated, confidential NSPCC 24-hour helpline 0800 023 2642, directly to the police on 101 or via email to the Scottish FA at childrenswellbeing@scottishfa.co.uk.”
Football Abuse: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game is being shown at 22:40 on BBC1 Scotland and will be available on the BBC iPlayer shortly afterwards.
Additional reporting by Liam McDougall, Calum McKay and Martin Conaghan.
Celtic Sex fiend left me weeping in Norway
At just 13, he was Celtic’s youngest-ever signing and hailed as Scotland’s greatest prospect. But John McCluskey’s dreams of stardom were tarnished by Jim Torbett. The innocent lad was used for tawdry sex by the manager during a boys’ club trip to Norway. And, when Torbett had fulfilled his sick obsession, he left his victim alone, confused and crying.
John, the brother of Parkhead favourite George McCluskey, spoke yesterday of the agony he has felt for 23 years. Near tears, he said: “My guilt and shame now is not for what happened that night. My shame is that I waited 23 years to do anything about it. “Dunblane was the one thing that made me come forward. If some of the boys abused by Thomas Hamilton had spoken out, perhaps the massacre might not have happened.” Striker John was destined to be a Celtic great. At 12, he so impressed Jock Stein that he was promised a place on the ground staff as soon as he left school. A key player at Celtic Boys’ Club, John’s Lanarkshire home was littered with trophies and medals. But one Best Player trophy fills him with revulsion each time he looks at it. It was given him after the awful night in Norway that changed his life forever. John said: “Every time I look at that trophy, I wonder if I got it because of what Torbett did to me. “I’ve always felt like throwing it in a river. But, if I had, I’d have had to tell everyone what happened.” Tears fill John’s eyes as he relives the nightmare. He said: “We were lying in a dormitory talking about football -the usual stuff. “Torbett was sleeping in the dorm and shouted, `Fryer’ -my nickname -`go in that room and sort the strips for tomorrow’. “But, when I went in, the strips were already sorted. “Torbett followed me in and sat me down on the bed. He put his hand inside my pyjamas and fondled me. “I was terrified. I didn’t know what to do. I just sat there and let him do it to me. “When I think of it now it makes me sick. “He left, and I cried my eyes out. I didn’t want to go back among the boys and I didn’t want to be by myself. I was so frightened. “Eventually I went back to bed and pulled the covers over my head. “I didn’t know what to think. I thought there must be something wrong with me and I must have enjoyed it, otherwise I wouldn’t have let him do it to me. “So I was terrified to complain to anyone.”
John had been on other foreign trips with the boys’ club. But he came back from Norway a different person. He said: “Everything had changed. But I was still determined to be a great player. “I trained hard and played really well. I don’t know how, but I was able to concentrate on my game.” But he stayed away from Torbett. He said: “A crowd of boys used to go to his home all the time. I went once, and that was enough for me. “I saw him beat up a lad who played with the boys’ club, but was about 17 and seemed to live with him. “I was horrified to see him slapping his face and punching him, yet the boy did nothing to stop him. “There was always talk around Celtic about Torbett and boys, but nothing seemed to be done until Jock Stein found out. “He kicked Torbett out, but it was still kept quiet. “All the directors and lots of others knew why Torbett got the boot, but it was swept under the carpet.”
John soon became a young Scottish hero, scoring the winner against England at Wembley in a 1975 schoolboy international. All eyes were on the boy who was to be the new Kenny Dalglish. But, two years later, a kick in training caused a blood clot on his leg that destroyed his career. John made a brief comeback, playing with Celtic’s first team in a European tie when he was still 17. But his injury recurred, and he hasn’t played since. For nearly 20 years, he has watched former team-mates grab the trophies as his life has become a tragic tale of booze and disappointment. John, who now hasn’t touched a drop in four years, reckons his injury helped push him into drinking. But he is sure his biggest reason was to blot out the memory of Torbett’s abuse. He said: “I started drinking after Norway. Suddenly it looked like something I wanted to do. “I was drinking heavily from 17. It was the only way to forget what Torbett did. “I was shattered that my career had finished. But I could have lived with that if it hadn’t been for Norway. “I’m so glad I don’t have sons. I would have wanted to send them to Celtic Boys Club, but I would always have wondered if some pervert was abusing them. “It took me a long time to come to terms with what happened and understand it wasn’t my fault. “But there are still days when I suddenly find myself in tears. “Nobody should get away with what Torbett did. How many more boys have suffered because of him? “I still love Celtic. I go to Parkhead every week and I’ll be a Celtic man until I die. “I only hope real Celtic fans will understand why I have come forward. If I can help stop this happening to one more boy, it will have been worthwhile.”
TORBETT PLEADED AS HIS VICTIM SOBBED A few days ago, John got a chilling phone call from Torbett pleading his innocence. It came after John made a sworn statement about the pervert to Celtic’s lawyers, in the presence of club supremo Fergus McCann. John said: “I didn’t even tell my brother George about Torbett until last week. “He was furious and wanted to do something about it. I told him to leave it, that I was coping fine. “But, when he left the house, I just burst into tears. “While I was crying, the phone rang. It was Torbett. “He said: `What are you doing to me, son?’ “I told him it was what he did to me that was the problem. “He said:`You know I never touched you, son. You know I loved you, and your family.’ “I was sick, just listening to him. “I told him that I hadn’t gone to the police or the newspapers and he said, `I appreciate that, son’.”
John told how a visit from the police, who were investigating sex abuse allegations at Celtic Boys’ Club dating back four years, finally made him come forward. He said: “The police were asking about someone else. “I thought they wanted to talk about Torbett, but they didn’t, so I didn’t tell them my story. “I spoke to Tommy Burns about it instead. He got me to make a statement to Fergus McCann who asked me to make a statement to their lawyers. “I have now done that. I will also make a statement to the police.”
Celtic Boys Club founder Jim Torbett at centre of new sex abuse allegations revealed in BBC investigation
The BBC Scotland programme also spoke to more than 20 victims of known offenders who targeted players at Celtic, Rangers and Hibs
Victims of sexual abuse in football have spoken of how their lives were shattered by notorious sex predators in a shocking new documentary.
The BBC Scotland programme spoke to more than 20 victims of paedophiles and tells of missed opportunities by big clubs and police in stopping known offenders, who targeted boys at Celtic, Rangers and Hibs.
Tonight’s programme, Football Abuse: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game, exposes the blatant methods of serial abusers like Celtic Boys Club founder Jim Torbett, who was initially brought to justice after an award winning Daily Record investigation in the 1980s.
It also reveals graphic accounts of abuse by former Rangers and Hibs coach Gordon Neely, from his time at both clubs and with youth club Hutchison Vale.
Alleged victims tell the programme that Torbett was allowed to return to Celtic after the club knew he was an abuser – enabling him to attack more victims.
Torbett was only ever convicted for crimes committed up to 1974 – but alleged victim Kenny Campbell claims he was abused after legendary manager Jock Stein left the club and Torbett was welcomed back in 1980.
Kenny, of Uddingston, moved to Celtic’s reserves in 1989 after three years with Celtic Boys Club. He said: “I feel aggrieved at that if they had never let him back in it would have f****** never happened in the first place, I could have had a normal life, normal people round about me.
“If Celtic had done their due diligence as they always say. And it wouldn’t have happened to me.”
Kenny, who has fought to clean up his life after the abuse resulted in drink and drug problems, said that, after he joined Celtic Boys Club at 13, Torbett won the trust of his parents, even spending a Christmas Day with them.
The abuse, he claims soon escalated and involved Torbett giving him cash – up to £530 on one day.
He also claims, in graphic detail, how up to three boys were abused at the same time in his flat.
Another victim who spoke to the BBC said Torbett abused him dozens of times over three years from 1990.
Torbett was jailed for two years in 1998 for sexually abusing three young players between 1967 and 1974.
Ex-Scotland international Alan Brazil was among those to testify against his former coach.
Court proceedings against Torbett heard that he had been kicked out of the boys’ club in 1974 by Jock Stein over child abuse claims.
The BBC programme claims to have spoken to three other former Celtic Boys’ Club officials – there at the time – who also say they were told Torbett was sacked by Stein after complaints Torbett had abused boys. The police were never called.
It alleges that Torbett’s departure from Celtic Boys Club was described in club magazine The Celtic View as a business decision – amounting to a “massive cover-up.”
The programme also features a photograph of Stein, the boys club honorary president, presenting an award to Torbett for services to the club three years after kicking him out.
The documentary alleges that directors at Celtic would have known that Torbett had been accused of abuse prior to having him back at Celtic Boys Club in 1980, where he stayed until 1996.
Jim Torbett was out of the country when the BBC tried to approach him but he denies the new allegations of abuse.
BBC investigator Mark Daly also spoke to alleged victims of notorious Gordon Neely, who abused young players for decades.
Victims provided harrowing accounts of how they were targeted while Neely was a coach at Hibs and later at Rangers, who were not tipped off about the predator.
When Rangers did discover Neely was a dangerous pervert they claim to have informed police – but the BBC could find no trace of such a complaint. Neely, who died of cancer three years ago, later abused young footballers on residential courses at Dalguise House, Dunkeld.
Victim Jon Cleland, from Dunfermline, was abused by Neely from the age of 11 while a player for Hutchison Vale in 1982 and later while training with Hibs, who employed Neely at the time.
Jon, from Dunfermline, said: “He said I looked like I had an injury. And same kind of thing put me over his knee and started to spank me, then he asked me to lean over a desk – and that’s when I was raped.”
He added: “I can’t be a hundred percent sure but it was at least eight to ten times over the space of eighteen months.”
Another victim gave details of being attacked by Neely at Hibs, who spanked him in his office at the club in 1984.
Hibs failed to report the coach to the police, enabling him to progress to Rangers with his reputation intact, under the management of Graeme Souness and Walter Smith in 1986.
With no alarm being raised by Hibs, the abuse allegedly continued at Ibrox. Rangers fired him in 1990 after an accusation of inappropriate behavior.
One former Rangers youth player, referred to as George in the programme, said: “He had his own office inside Ibrox and he’d call you in and he’d make you close the door; and he’d pull your shorts and pants down and then he’d spank you with like this kind of, like, rubber shoe.
“I mean I wasn’t the only one. He’d give you ten or twenty whacks for anything. I was only about 13.”
After Rangers got rid of Neely, he ran football courses at Dalguise House, Dunkeld, where more abuse took place.
One victim, referred to as Paul, played for Edinburgh clubs between 1995 and 1998.
He said: “He told me I had a condition that was hampering me. And that he could help me with it. So he would examine my backside, and then he would put his fingers inside me.”
Paul’s alleged abuse took place around a decade after complaints about Neely were made to Hibs – and more than five years after a complaint was made at Rangers.
Victims also told of being abused by a major scout, who is still alive but who can’t be named for legal reasons. The scout worked for Rangers and Hibs, as well as English giants Chelsea and Liverpool.
A spokesman for Celtic FC told BBC Scotland the Boys’ Club was a “separate and distinct” organisation from Celtic Football Club.
It was “vital that justice was served” at that time, due to the “extremely serious nature” of this issue.
Celtic has asked anyone with any concerns to contact them.
In a statement to the BBC, Hibs said they were “saddened to be told” that personnel at the club at the time were “allegedly made aware of concerns” about Neely and, again allegedly did not contact the police with the concerns. This is something which “current policies and practices” would “prevent from happening today…”
Rangers told us it was aware of an alleged incident more than 25 years ago.
In a statement the club said: “It is understood” the individual was “dismissed immediately” and that the “police were informed”.
The club said: “All employees adhered” to the “strictest codes of conduct” and the club “would always cooperate fully” with the authorities.
Police Scotland told the BBC they could not confirm whether Rangers made a complaint or not. No trace of a police report being sent to the procurator fiscal could be found.
More than 80 men involved in football are being investigated by police across the UK. Among them are John Hart, former physiotherapist at Partick Thistle, Jim McCafferty, ex-youth coach and kitman at Celtic, Hibs and Falkirk, and Hugh Stevenson, who was a youth coach and referee.
Since November, Police Scotland has received more than 130 claims of child sex abuse within Scottish football.
Celtic Boys Club founder Jim Torbett found guilty of abusing three boys
Published: 16:03
Updated: 16:41 Monday 05 November 2018
https://www.scotsman.com/regions/glasgow-strathclyde/celtic-boys-club-founder-jim-torbett-found-guilty-of-abusing-three-boys-1-4824766
Celtic Boys’ Club founder Jim Torbett has been jailed for a second time for sexually abusing young players.
Torbett, 71, was found guilty after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow after denying the charges. Torbett was locked up for six years after a judge said he used the football team as a “recruiting ground” to prey on boys.
Torbett targeted two teenagers including one who worshipped him as a “hero”.
The 71 year-old also abused a five year-old boy at a trophy business Torbett once owned in Glasgow’s southside.
The convicted paedophile faced the accusations at the High Court in Glasgow.
His return to the dock came 20 years after he was jailed for historical abuse of ex-boys club players including former Scotland striker Alan Brazil.
Torbett – who had been living in California in America – was charged in 2017 following fresh allegations of sex attacks.
He was jailed today after he was found guilty of five abuse charges.
The crimes occurred between 1986 and 1994.
Lord Beckett said the setting-up of a youth football club may have appeared “public spirited and commendable”.
But, the judge added Torbett had instead used it as a “front for a recruiting ground” to abuse boys who dreamed of playing for Celtic.
He described Torbett using his “substantial power” to “groom and contrive situations” to abuse victim.
The judge told him: “Yours was amongst the most corrupt behaviour I have heard in these courts.”
Lord Beckett concluded the “depraved” conduct had “blighted” the lives of his victims.
Torbett – who denied the latest crimes – showed no emotion as he was lead handcuffed to the cells.
Torbett was allegedly booted out of the boys club in 1974 by then Celtic boss Jock Stein.
But, he was said to have been allowed back after Stein left in 1980.
A now 46 year-old man told jurors how he played for Celtic Boys Club when he was 14.
He said Torbett – who was also the manager – had been his “hero” and that he would have “run through walls for him”.
Sick Torbett instead preyed on that to abuse the then teenager.
In a claim – later removed from a charge by the jury – the victim claimed Torbett would stuff money in his mouth.
He added: “One time it was £530. I remember going home with £100 notes in my pocket.”
He also said Torbett attacked him on a Celtic Boys Club to Noyon in France.
The witness told the trial: “I was in my bed in a dormitory. Jim Torbett was standing there with a shirt and underpants on.
“He proceeded to do a striptease. He took his shirt off and was dancing.”
The man said Torbett – who kept his pants on – was moving the shirt back and forwards between his legs.
He recalled the pervert then summoned him to his room and abused the then teenager.
Torbett targeted another young boy who played in his team.
This victim, however, tragically died in a swimming accident before he could testify in court.
But, a damning police statement given before his death helped secure justice from beyond the grave.
The 41 year-old told officers he was first abused in Torbett’s motor after training.
This included the pervert touching him on the groin. The scared victim recalled he “did not know what was happening”.
The man told police: “I can still remember lying in bed that night thinking ‘is that how adults act?’.”
The victim said he was also attacked in Torbett’s Glasgow flat after being invited over.
Jurors heard Torbett “would drop him from the team” when the then teenager did not agree to his sick demands.
The ex-boys club player went on to borrow cash from Torbett after felling into debt.
But, he told police: “I did not have the money to pay him back – then I decided ‘f*** him’.
“I was not going to pay him back because of what he had done to me…sexually abusing me.
“I also did not want to see or speak to the man ever again.”
The final victim was a now 35 year-old man, who did play for the boys’ club.
He was abused at the Trophy Centre business that Torbett ran in Pollokshaws, Glasgow.
The witness – who was as young as five at the time – was attacked while on his own with Torbett.
He told the trial: “I was instructed by Mr Torbett to take my shorts and underwear down.
“He stood looking at me for a while. It seemed like ages. He said everything was fine then left the room.”
This victim also said he was molested while Torbett apparently checked his homework.
Torbett, of the city’s Kelvindale, denied the accusations.
He branded the victims “liars” and said allegations were like “something out of fairytales”.
Asked if had been the target of “made up hideous lies”, Torbett replied: “Absolutely.”
But, in her closing speech to jurors, prosecutor Sheena Fraser said Torbett had been guilty of “systematic abuse”.
It was in 1998 that Torbett was first convicted of abusing young players from Celtic Boys Club.
He was jailed for two years at Glasgow Sheriff Court for preying on three boys between 1967 and 1974.
Torbett was also today/yesterday put on the sex offenders list.
The jury found him guilty of indecently assaulting the first victim.
He was convicted of lewd and libidinous conduct and indecent assault against the second boys club player.
Torbett was further guilty of the same two charges on the third boy.
A further allegation of lewd and libidinous conduct against this victim was found not proven.
Celtic Boys Club founder Jim Torbett found guilty of abusing three boys
https://www.scotsman.com/regions/glasgow-strathclyde/celtic-boys-club-founder-jim-torbett-found-guilty-of-abusing-three-boys-1-4824766Court Reporter
Published: 16:03
Updated: 16:41 Monday 05 November 2018
Celtic Boys’ Club founder Jim Torbett has been jailed for a second time for sexually abusing young players.
Torbett, 71, was found guilty after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow after denying the charges. Torbett was locked up for six years after a judge said he used the football team as a “recruiting ground” to prey on boys.
Torbett targeted two teenagers including one who worshipped him as a “hero”.
The 71 year-old also abused a five year-old boy at a trophy business Torbett once owned in Glasgow’s southside.
The convicted paedophile faced the accusations at the High Court in Glasgow.
His return to the dock came 20 years after he was jailed for historical abuse of ex-boys club players including former Scotland striker Alan Brazil.
Torbett – who had been living in California in America – was charged in 2017 following fresh allegations of sex attacks.
He was jailed today after he was found guilty of five abuse charges.
The crimes occurred between 1986 and 1994.
Lord Beckett said the setting-up of a youth football club may have appeared “public spirited and commendable”.
But, the judge added Torbett had instead used it as a “front for a recruiting ground” to abuse boys who dreamed of playing for Celtic.
He described Torbett using his “substantial power” to “groom and contrive situations” to abuse victim.
The judge told him: “Yours was amongst the most corrupt behaviour I have heard in these courts.”
JW Filshill director Christopher Miller will be a judge at the Chinese Craft Beer Awards on the trade visit.
Lord Beckett concluded the “depraved” conduct had “blighted” the lives of his victims.
Torbett – who denied the latest crimes – showed no emotion as he was lead handcuffed to the cells.
Torbett was allegedly booted out of the boys club in 1974 by then Celtic boss Jock Stein.
But, he was said to have been allowed back after Stein left in 1980.
A now 46 year-old man told jurors how he played for Celtic Boys Club when he was 14.
He said Torbett – who was also the manager – had been his “hero” and that he would have “run through walls for him”.
Sick Torbett instead preyed on that to abuse the then teenager.
In a claim – later removed from a charge by the jury – the victim claimed Torbett would stuff money in his mouth.
He added: “One time it was £530. I remember going home with £100 notes in my pocket.”
He also said Torbett attacked him on a Celtic Boys Club to Noyon in France.
The witness told the trial: “I was in my bed in a dormitory. Jim Torbett was standing there with a shirt and underpants on.
“He proceeded to do a striptease. He took his shirt off and was dancing.”
The man said Torbett – who kept his pants on – was moving the shirt back and forwards between his legs.
He recalled the pervert then summoned him to his room and abused the then teenager.
Torbett targeted another young boy who played in his team.
This victim, however, tragically died in a swimming accident before he could testify in court.
But, a damning police statement given before his death helped secure justice from beyond the grave.
The 41 year-old told officers he was first abused in Torbett’s motor after training.
This included the pervert touching him on the groin. The scared victim recalled he “did not know what was happening”.
The man told police: “I can still remember lying in bed that night thinking ‘is that how adults act?’.”
The victim said he was also attacked in Torbett’s Glasgow flat after being invited over.
Jurors heard Torbett “would drop him from the team” when the then teenager did not agree to his sick demands.
The ex-boys club player went on to borrow cash from Torbett after felling into debt.
But, he told police: “I did not have the money to pay him back – then I decided ‘f*** him’.
“I was not going to pay him back because of what he had done to me…sexually abusing me.
“I also did not want to see or speak to the man ever again.”
The final victim was a now 35 year-old man, who did play for the boys’ club.
He was abused at the Trophy Centre business that Torbett ran in Pollokshaws, Glasgow.
The witness – who was as young as five at the time – was attacked while on his own with Torbett.
He told the trial: “I was instructed by Mr Torbett to take my shorts and underwear down.
“He stood looking at me for a while. It seemed like ages. He said everything was fine then left the room.”
This victim also said he was molested while Torbett apparently checked his homework.
Torbett, of the city’s Kelvindale, denied the accusations.
He branded the victims “liars” and said allegations were like “something out of fairytales”.
Asked if had been the target of “made up hideous lies”, Torbett replied: “Absolutely.”
But, in her closing speech to jurors, prosecutor Sheena Fraser said Torbett had been guilty of “systematic abuse”.
It was in 1998 that Torbett was first convicted of abusing young players from Celtic Boys Club.
He was jailed for two years at Glasgow Sheriff Court for preying on three boys between 1967 and 1974.
Torbett was also today/yesterday put on the sex offenders list.
The jury found him guilty of indecently assaulting the first victim.
He was convicted of lewd and libidinous conduct and indecent assault against the second boys club player.
Torbett was further guilty of the same two charges on the third boy.
A further allegation of lewd and libidinous conduct against this victim was found not proven.
How Celtic boys abuser was convicted for a second time
By Mark Daly and Calum McKay BBC Disclosure
5 November 2018
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-44613935
The conviction of Jim Torbett for child sex abuse for the second time marks the end of another chapter in the story of how a paedophile used football as a cover for his crimes.
Torbett founded Celtic Boys Club in 1966 as a club closely aligned with Celtic FC.
He was no footballing tactician, nor was he especially liked by his peers, but he was on good terms with the Celtic board.
Indeed it was Celtic’s legendary manager Jock Stein and former chairman Sir Robert Kelly who gave the young man permission to start the boys club, using Celtic’s name and colours.
Image copyright Celtic View
Image caption Jock Stein (left) presented Torbett (centre) with an award three years after he allegedly threw him out of the club. Hugh Birt is pictured on the right
It would provide the perfect cover for a man whose offending spanned four decades.
Torbett, who is now 71, would act as a father figure to some of the boys he coached.
He would buy them tracksuits, charm their parents and engender their trust.
He would take the boys to Celtic Park to watch their heroes, sometimes even sitting in the executive box, or behind the dugouts.
They would be mesmerised with his promises, and a chance to make their way through the ranks and on to the Celtic senior team’s books.
But some boys under Torbett would pay a heavy price for this opportunity.
Image caption Kenny Campbell receives an award at Celtic Boys Club in the 1980s
Kenny Campbell is one of them.
Kenny, now 46, joined Celtic Boys Club in 1985 as a 13-year-old. A year later, he joined the U-14s, which was managed by Torbett.
Kenny was subjected to four years of sexual abuse at the hands of Torbett, which carried on after he signed professionally for Celtic FC. Kenny made about 20 appearances for Celtic reserves.
He broke his silence in a BBC documentary last year Football Abuse: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game.
Image caption Jim Torbett is alleged to have abused Kenny Campbell for four years
Immediately after the programme he went to the police and became one of the key witnesses in the prosecution case against Torbett.
Ahead of the trial, Kenny told the BBC: “It’s just something that I need to do.
Image copyright Celtic View
Image caption Kenny Campbell made about 20 appearances for the reserves at Celtic
“The thing I’m looking forward to most, is looking him in the eye, or pointing him out [from the witness box] and saying ‘there he is, there’, because he knows. I know he knows.
“That’s what gets me through some days. He knows that what happened was wrong.”
The BBC documentary also featured the testimony of Andrew Gray, though we disguised his identity.
He signed for Torbett’s team in around 1989 as a 13-year-old. His abuse lasted nearly three years.
Image caption Andrew Gray with his sister Michelle
Torbett’s methods in grooming and abusing Andrew bore an eerie similarity to those he deployed with Kenny Campbell – “trumped up” awards for playing, currying favour and trust with his family, and attacks in Torbett’s car, flat and workplace.
A month after the documentary was broadcast, the BBC tracked Torbett down to California and put Andrew and Kenny’s claims to him in a dramatic confrontation, in which another former Celtic Boys Club player, William Gilbert, attempted to stop us from filming.
Mr Gilbert accompanied Torbett every day during the trial.
It is not clear whether Torbett lied about his previous conviction in order to obtain entry to the US, but within hours of the confrontation being broadcast, US Homeland Security visited Torbett and escorted him to the airport.
He was picked up on arrival in the UK by Scottish police and was arrested and charged with abusing several boys, including Kenny and Andrew.
The Background: Free to Abuse Again
Torbett had two stints at the Boys Club, the first from 1966 to 1974.
He returned to the Boys Club in about 1978 and stayed until a series of Daily Record stories revealed abuse claims against him in 1996.
He was jailed for two years in 1998 for abusing three former Celtic Boys Club players, including former Scotland international Alan Brazil, between 1967 and 1974.
Former Boys Club chairman Hugh Birt told the trial Torbett’s first spell had ended in 1974 because he was kicked out by its then honorary president Jock Stein, after allegations of child abuse emerged. The police were never called.
The BBC has spoken to three additional sources close to the events in 1974 who support Birt’s version of events.
But the “official” version of Torbett’s departure can be found in the archives of the Celtic View, the sanctioned, in-house magazine for Celtic FC.
Dated November 1974, the report is headlined: “Jim bows out…after another season of glory.”
It states that Torbett was leaving for his own personal and business reasons and is a glowing tribute to his time at the Boys Club.
The then editor Jack McGinn told the BBC last year that all stories published in the magazine were done so in good faith, and denies allowing a false article to be published.
Image caption Jim Torbett was jailed in 1998 for crimes leading up to 1974
In 1998, Torbett was jailed for his crimes leading up to 1974. No allegations had been made about his second stint, until last year.
But if Torbett was kicked out in 1974 for abuse claims, why was he allowed to return to the club, free to abuse again?
Hugh Birt, who died five years ago, told the court in 1998 that he attempted to prevent Torbett returning to the Boys Club and raised the issue with Celtic board members, including Kevin Kelly, the son of former chairman Robert Kelly.
Image caption Celtic director Kevin Kelly (pictured) said he was unaware of Torbett’s prior offending
Two other sources told the BBC that when Torbett was allowed to return to the Boys Club in the late 1970s, Kevin Kelly would have been aware of the previous claims of abuse against Torbett.
Mr Kelly and Jack McGinn, a Celtic FC director from 1981, worked with Mr Torbett at his Trophy Centre business from 1986 and 1998 respectively.
Their associations with the company continued long after Torbett was jailed in 1998 for abuse.
Image caption Jack McGinn also denied knowing about the allegation about Jim Torbett
Mr Kelly strongly denies being aware of allegations concerning Torbett when he returned to the Boys Club, and told the BBC that he was not aware of any previous allegations against Torbett until his court case in the 1990s.
Jack McGinn also denies any previous knowledge of Mr Torbett’s offending prior to his second spell at the Boys Club.
Both Mr Kelly and Mr McGinn said that if they had been aware of Mr Torbett’s prior offending, they would have done all they could to prevent him returning to Celtic Boys Club.
But it seems clear that had Jim Torbett been prevented from returning to the Boys Club, Kenny Campbell and Andrew Gray would not have been subjected to the grooming and sexual abuse which formed the biggest part of this trial.
The Trial
Image caption Kenny Campbell got to face Torbett in court
The trial lasted more than two weeks and featured evidence from four men who said they were abused by Torbett, although the Crown withdrew the charges relating to one of those men.
Kenny Campbell was the first witness to take the stand. Because of his previous association with the BBC, Torbett’s defence sought to have the two BBC journalists involved in the programme banned from the courtroom for his evidence. The motion was repelled by Judge Beckett.
In two days of emotionally fraught evidence, Kenny described how Torbett had first groomed then abused him. When asked if he could see his abuser in the courtroom, he pointed towards the man in the dock – his former mentor, Jim Torbett.
Kenny got his wish and faced his abuser in court, but Andrew Gray did not get that opportunity.
Andrew, who would have been 43, had suffered from mental health problems since he was a teenager.
Ahead of the trial he had gone to visit his best friend in Australia for a few weeks to alleviate the pressure, but broke his neck in a freak swimming pool accident.
Image caption Andrew Gray’s sister Michelle promised to tell his story after his death
His sister Michelle Gray travelled to his bedside while he was on life support.
She recalled: “He had said, please get me out of here and get me back to Scotland as soon as you possibly can, words to this effect, so that I can make sure Torbett gets put away for the rest of his life.
“And there was a communication made between [us] where we basically [said] if he didn’t make it, that I would come back to Scotland and make sure people heard his story and do all I possibly can to make sure that Jim Torbett was convicted of the crimes that he committed and make sure this never happens again to any other football-mad child.”
Andrew died 16 days later after his family took the decision to switch off his life support machine. Michelle was at his side.
She added: “It’s really important that we go… and we get justice for him because he’s not here.
“We’ll never hear his voice again. We’ll never be able to embrace him. We’ll never be able to tell him how much he’s loved but we can do this for him.
“I would like [Tobett] to know the pain and suffering that he caused Andrew.
“I would like him to also know that he destroyed his life and he is indirectly responsible for his death, that the course of actions that took place over the last 25/30 years and more so the last 18 months would never have happened if he had not done what he done to my brother.”
During the trial Kenny and Andrew were described as liars and fantasists by Torbett, who produced as a defence witness William Gilbert, the man who tried to shield him during our confrontation in California.
Mr Gilbert had accompanied Torbett every day during this trial. When it was his turn to give evidence, his answers, according to the advocate depute, seemed “rehearsed”.
This jury, rightly, did not get to hear about Torbett’s previous conviction. But when they were sent to consider their verdict on Monday, they had to decide whether Andrew, Kenny and another man had told the truth about what they said their football manager – a man who had been entrusted with their care – had done to them as children.
The jury decided that they had.
‘Separate and distinct’
Celtic FC told the BBC last year the Boys Club was a “separate and distinct” organisation.
The two clubs are separate legal entities, but decades of Celtic View magazines, and never before seen footage obtained by BBC Scotland, shows how the two clubs were intertwined.
Image copyright NASA
Image caption Jim Torbett, with Jock Stein sitting in front, from a boys club event in about 1973
Image caption Celtic legends Jock Stein and Billy McNeil handing out awards at a Celtic Boys Club prize-giving in 1973
Celtic legends Jock Stein and Billy McNeil are filmed handing out awards at a Celtic Boys Club prize-giving in about 1973, while Torbett looks on.
The distinction, though correct legally, rings hollow to the survivors of Torbett’s abuse.
Kenny Campbell said he felt hurt and angry at Celtic’s statement last year.
He said: “It made me really, really angry to be honest with you. They’re just pleading the fifth at the end of the day.”
Since going public with his claims Kenny Campbell says he has still to hear from anyone at Celtic FC.
He said: “Why not just write a letter of apology, or somebody come personally and deliver a letter of apology.
“That’s all it takes. It would take nothing else.
“It wouldn’t take money or motors or houses or things like that.
“Just someone to tell me ‘I’m sorry’ for what I’ve went through and sorry for what I’ve suffered for the past 20 or 25 years.”
Jim Torbett has been jailed for six years.
His victims and their families, who were so badly let down by football, can perhaps now look for some closure.
Young footballers may have been victims of cross-border ‘organised sexual abuse’, report finds
Children and young people involved in Scottish football may have been subjected to cross-border “organised sexual abuse and sexual exploitation”, according to a new report.
By Martyn McLaughlin
Thursday, 11th February 2021, 1:52 pm
https://www.scotsman.com/news/crime/young-footballers-may-have-been-victims-cross-border-organised-sexual-abuse-report-finds-3131755
A final review commissioned by the sport’s governing body into historical child sexual abuse revealed that specific allegations have been made in recent years of organised abuse, which are currently the subject of a criminal investigation.
The allegations concern the introduction of young players between adult men for “sexual purposes” and took place “across borders” under the guise of footballing activity.
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The independent review found young people may have been abused from the 1970s through to the early 1990s because they were failed by adults who did not act despite “reasonable cause for suspicion” they may have been at risk.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) has called on clubs across the country to issue an unreserved apology to those harmed, without the need for allegations to be “tested” in a criminal court case.
While the 192-page publication contains harrowing first-hand allegations of rape, sexual assault and other offences over previous decades, the review’s authors stressed that it would be “a grave mistake” to claim sexual abuse in the game was a historical issue, stating that the sexual abuse of children and young people is not something which can be easily “eradicated.”
Ian Maxwell, the SFA’s chief executive, said he was “deeply upset” by the report’s contents and reiterated his “sincerest apology” to all those who have experienced abuse.
As part of the review, 33 people, some of whom waived their anonymity, provided personal accounts of their experiences.
Senior clubs including Rangers, Hibernian, Motherwell and Partick Thistle are among those named in the testimonies, as is Celtic Boys Club.
Those who came forward included Jon Cleland, who told of how he was abused by a coach, referred to as D, who worked at Hutchison Vale Football Club and later at Hibernian and Rangers and died in 2014.
Mr Cleland joined Hutchison Vale (Youth) Football Club in the early 1980s when he was ten. He alleged he was raped on eight to ten occasions, in addition to being sexually assaulted or abused on numerous other occasions.
Another account concerning a former youth player who joined Celtic Boys Club in 1989 aged 13 said that he was sexually abused by a coach who had asked him to help with his business at the weekends.
The former player died before being able to provide a detailed account in person to the review, but his family members and a friend said the coach allegedly abused him at his place of work and in his car, and that he was given money and football boots to “ensure his continuing silence”.
The review’s authors said the coach in question left Celtic Boys Club as a result of “some suspicion about his activities” and that “it is possible that a number of people in Scottish football may have had some suspicion” concerning his alleged abuse, including a former senior manager and a former board member of Celtic FC.
The report also said it was “concerning” the coach went on to return to Celtic Boys Club in another capacity.
The review found most of the young people who experienced sexual abuse did not report it to anyone else at the time, and in the majority of cases no-one in Scottish football knew about it.
However, it said this does not necessarily mean there was no “level of suspicion” among some in the game.
The review authors said they were “struck by how easy it was for these adults – with a sexual interest in children and young people – to navigate Scottish football in such a way as to make their activities accomplishable and to maximise secrecy and concealment”.
It said there were sometimes flaws in decision making and omissions in the actions which were taken, which meant that “regrettably sometimes this meant that little or no action was taken at all”.
The review said it was “encouraging” the Scottish FA and its members had taken serious steps to deliver on many of its recommendations for improvement laid out in an interim report, published in 2018.
Mr Maxwell said: “I am deeply upset by the contents of the final report into sexual abuse in Scottish football and, in particular, by the deeply personal, traumatic experiences endured by young players who were abused by people in whom they and their families placed their trust.
“I reiterate my sincerest apology on behalf of Scottish football to all who have experienced abuse in our national game.
“The report also recognises the progress that the SFA and its members have made to achieve the highest standards of wellbeing and protection for children and young people to play our national sport safely today.
“Since the board issued a directive in 2016, we can report that 80 per cent of the original recommendations are either completed or in progress.”
Martin Henry, chair of the independent review of child sexual abuse in Scottish football, said: “It is to be hoped that the voices of those affected will now be heard and I hope today provides some assurance and a sense of personal justice and vindication.
“I am heartened by the progress made so far in Scottish football, but today should not be considered the end of this journey, but a critical juncture to provide context to the work that is under way and which must continue.”
Abuse at other clubs
Rangers ‘covered up’ reasons for abuse claim coach’s departure By Mark Daly & Craig Williams
BBC Disclosure
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-50087600
17 October 2019
Image caption Gordon Neely, pictured during his time at Ibrox, died in 2014
New evidence has emerged suggesting Rangers FC covered up the reasons why a former youth coach accused of child sex offences left the club.
Rangers have consistently said they sacked Gordon Neely in 1991 after a complaint from worried parents and then reported him to the police.
But the new evidence shows that is not what the club said publicly at the time – and Neely’s alleged victim insists a police report was never made.
Rangers denied a cover-up.
Gordon Neely coached children at Hutcheson Vale, Hibernian and Rangers in the 1980 and 90s. A BBC Scotland investigation in 2017 revealed the extent of his abuse at those three clubs, including allegations that Hibs failed to pass on concerns about his behaviour when Neely moved to Rangers in 1986.
Neely would carry on abusing at Rangers until a complaint was made in 1991 which led to his dismissal.
Rangers told the BBC in 2017 that Neely was sacked and reported to the police. Two months ago, the club told The Sun: “It was important Rangers took both steps without delay to address this matter.”
Image caption The BBC has obtained an article in the club’s newspaper
However, this has been called into question after the BBC obtained an article in the club’s newspaper marking his departure, which made no mention of abuse concerns and wished him “every success in the future”.
The boy who made the complaint which led to Neely’s sacking has broken his silence and says Rangers’ statements that a police report was made are “total lies”.
‘What just happened?’
Former Rangers youth team player John (not his real name) says he fell victim to Neely in 1991.
One night before training, when he was aged 14, he says he was told to go and see Neely in his office over an apparent breach in discipline.
John said: “[Neely] says: ‘Well there’s two ways we can deal with this… I can go and tell your parents and you’ll never play for Rangers again. Or we can do it my way which is that I’ll take you in this office, pull your trousers down, and spank your bum’… And I said: ‘Well, we’ll do it your way.’
“And he went and snibbed the door… took down my pants and he bent me over his knee and I can always remember his hand going up…
“I shut my eyes expecting the thud. But just at that he said: ‘That’s enough… go and get changed and go for your training.’ So I don’t know whether something’s spooked him… but that’s what he done.’
“I was… confused, a bit ‘what just happened there? What have I done?’ I’ve not done anything wrong. I was just, I couldn’t believe it.”
‘They didn’t go the police’
John told his parents. They phoned Ibrox and were invited to a meeting with the then manager and assistant manager, Graeme Souness and Walter Smith. He says the initial meeting took place in Souness’ car, across from Ibrox.
He says the meeting then continued in Souness’ office and Neely was brought in and confronted.
John said: “[Neely’s] face just fell when he saw me. Mr Souness said: ‘This boy says you had him over your knee.’ He said: ‘No I didn’t boss, no, no.’ I broke down and said: ‘You did so.’
Neely later confessed, and Souness sacked him on the spot.
Since 2016, Rangers has insisted it also reported Neely to the police.
Image caption Neely had a youth development role with Hibs in the early 1980s
“Total lies,” said John. “No, they didn’t go the police.
“When I made my statement to the police [in 2016] they said they couldn’t find any trace of any record at all going back to what Rangers are saying.
“Nobody came to speak to me either when I was that age. That’s how I know nothing was reported to the police.”
Martin Henry, who led the SFA review into child abuse in football, told the BBC his review had been “unable to confirm either way whether an actual formal report was made to Strathclyde police at that time”.
Wished ‘every success in the future’
But despite Rangers’ claims that Neely was sacked and reported to the police, that’s not what they told the public.
In an edition of the in-house weekly newspaper Rangers News on 20 March 1991, a story titled “Neely Moves On” appears on page two.
It states that Neely “resigned last week after spending four years at Ibrox”.
It continues: “Neely, who was previously with Dundee United and Hibernian, has decided to go into business.
“The club wishes him every success in the future.”
Image caption The article appeared in Rangers News in March 1991
When shown the article, John told the BBC: “Well, there you go. On one hand they tell you they went to the police. And on the other hand, he went with their best wishes. A paedophile? Unbelievable. A cover-up.”
Martin Henry said the article was “concerning,” and was “new information” that his review had not previously been aware of.
He added: “It would concern me if any institution knew that somebody presented a potential risk to young people and didn’t follow it up with due care. And from what I’ve read, that appears to be the case.
“I can only construe it could well be that this was a public relations attempt to just explain Mr Neely’s departure and to do it in a way that was as less compromising as possible.”
Mr Henry’s full SFA report will be published this year.
Rangers did not respond to a request for a comment from BBC Scotland, instead it issued a statement to The Herald.
A spokesman for club said: “Rangers based its prior description as to what occurred on trusted first-hand accounts from those with personal knowledge of what took place and the appropriate steps taken at that time.
“To suggest… that these are invalidated by a short, filler piece in the Rangers News written almost 30 years ago by someone who clearly had no knowledge of the events, or the reasons for Neely’s sacking is nonsense.”
He added: “Rangers will do all it can to assist in offering support and counselling to anyone affected. Their wellbeing should be at the centre of every right thinking person’s concern.”
‘It takes something away from you’
Image copyright PA Media
A week or two after Neely left the club, John says that another coach came into the Ibrox dressing room to speak to his team.
John said the man barged in and said: “Right, there’s somebody in here, and you know who you are, that’s been telling lies about my best friend.”
John said: “I knew straight away it was me they were referring to… I just put my head down.
“I didn’t go back. How could I?
“It affected me. I came back to football, to Dundee United, but [on] maybe my second training session there was something missing. I didn’t want it.
“It takes something away from you – trust. I decided to stop. I just lost interest, I suppose.”
‘I hope lessons can be learned’
In 2017 the BBC revealed that Neely went into private coaching after leaving Rangers, and continued to abuse well into the 1990s.
Another former youth player says he was abused by Neely for four year during the 1990s, at Neely’s home in Perthshire.
He told the BBC: “It is very disappointing to learn that Gordon Neely appears to have been protected from investigation by the clubs… leaving him free to continue to abuse children and young adults.
“The fact Neely was able to continue to promote himself as a trusted and respected youth coach directly created a situation which led to my abuse.
“Considering Neely’s death, my only hope is that lessons can be learned from this and that clubs involved in abuse will be investigated to find out how this was allowed to happen.”
‘I’d like an apology’
John, who is now in his 40s, is pursuing a legal claim against Rangers. His lawyer, Daniel Canning from Thompsons, told the BBC: “Our client has shown great courage in coming forward and speaking about his experience as a child at Rangers. It was not an easy thing for him to do.
“Secrecy, misinformation and a failure to take decisive action have always been the circumstances that have allowed child abuse to take place and abusers to continue abusing.”
Neely died in 2014 from cancer and never faced justice.
But John says that some things could still be put right.
“I was only a wee boy at the time. [It’ll be] 29 years next March… I’d like an apology – but will I see that? Probably not.”
From The Celtic Star (2021)
One victim, Malcolm Rodger (who is a Rangers supporter) spoke extensively to The Celtic Star last year. He also appeared on Thomson’s Channel 4 report into this issue and I noticed that he was on STV news yesterday too. He had this to say last year, as reported on The Celtic Star:
“Whatever is said this week in the press and on TV please don’t forget that the SFA are the true problem here.
“For the last 2 years they have sat back and let the red top media attack Celtic, Celtic boys club (affiliated or not) and Rangers as well as other clubs. It has been easy press for the hack journalists with a quote here and there and a huge headline with a photo of the abuser.
“There has never been a situation at Celtic or Rangers where the abuse took place after the player signed a pro-contract,” Malcolm pointed out.
“The abuse all took place when we were kids – this falls straight at the heart of the SFA responsibilities and always has done.”
Press Box hosted by Graham Spiers
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The Celtic Boys Club scandal: a tragedy that brings gleeful cheering
I never thought I’d ever witness this: sheer hands-rubbing glee over child sex abuse stories. But the Celtic Boys Club scandal of the 1970s and 1980s has provoked a tragedy upon tragedy: rival supporters, especially those of Rangers, being unable to contain their excitement as the men guilty of these heinous crimes continue to be sent down.
Jim Torbett and his cohorts were truly repulsive men. They preyed on children – they touched, groped and sometimes raped – and left lives ruined. It is small consolation now, sometimes 40 or 50 years after the event, that these former football coaches and “mentors” to children are being brought to justice. Their evil already done.
To get a true feel for what these men did, and to feel the primeval rage, you sometimes have to imagine your own family being thrust into such a scene. I have three young children whom I cherish. Had one of them had the dire misfortune to fall into the clutches of a Torbett, and been subject to his abuses, it wouldn’t just be my child’s life that would be scarred. My own grief and rage and thirsting for vengeance would be the end of me.
So these Celtic Boys Club abusers who hung around the club and saw their opportunity – let’s keep hunting them. Let’s bring them to justice. And even more: let’s hear a far more compassionate and contrite note from Celtic FC, and a willingness from the club to set up a compassion fund, with which to reach out to the many Boys Club victims.
The tragedy of what happened over those years is our primary concern. But now there is a supplementary tragedy being applied: the vile, gleeful, cheering of rival football fans who use today’s social media to promote their happy point-scoring.
There is a section of the Rangers support whose phony concern for – actually, obsession with – the Celtic Boys Club scandal is nauseating. You see them repeatedly on Twitter and elsewhere, springing thirstily to life whenever a Torbett or some other wanton abuser is back in the news. There is no other way of putting it: they are beside themselves with excitement.
Not pausing for a moment to think about the real source of their joy, these supporters salivate all over social media, kicking and blackening the name of Celtic, sometimes only just remembering to mention the children as an afterthought. The exciting one-upmanship of it all becomes far too consuming to be able to remember the cruelty of the original story.
I’ve had to witness this – and endure this – all over social media in recent years: grown men and women, feigning their concern for what actually happened, while dancing to the music of the scandal.
The experience of The Times in Scotland offers one such example. The paper led the way recently in its coverage of the Celtic scandal, but came to slightly dread the manner in which its Twitter handle, while promoting such stories, would be invaded and hijacked by Rangers fans, salaciously retweeting any child abuse scandal they could lay their hands on.
So The Times would publish a Celtic boys club scandal – quite rightly, too – but then slightly shield its eyes when scanning the paper’s own Twitter page. There they were: panzer divisions of rival supporters commenting and feverishly retweeting, with Twitter identities bedecked in Union Flags, Protestant paraphernalia, “RFC” badges, King Billy, “Paedo FC”, “No Surrender” and the rest. The original Times story would be turned into a kind of 12thof July parade.
A visitor from Mars might ask: why does it seem to be Rangers fans who have a special empathy or sympathy for the victims in these stories? Then the reality of it would dawn.
This wasn’t concern. This was cheering.
It just as easily happens in reverse. I ran an interview in 2021 in The Times with a well-known former professional footballer – a player known to supporters on both sides of the border – who had been abused by the Rangers youth coach, Gordon Neely, in the 1980s at Ibrox. The piece ran to 2,000 words and contained some harrowing testimony.
The Times ran it on its Twitter page, but suddenly, not a single Rangers fan was interested in retweeting a child sex abuse scandal in football. How odd, given their previous almost insatiable appetite for such stories.
But plenty Celtic supporters RT’d it – they were all over it. I saw this and thought: “Ah, right, I think I’m starting to understand how this outrage works.”
I love the rivalry of football fans – it is the very essence of the game. If you take it away, the game dies, which is why the current ban on away fans at the Glasgow derby is such a sadness. Fan rivalry is the absolute spice of football.
But this stuff – high-fiving over child cruelty – is beyond the pale. At first I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. But then I recalled the old line: Twitter and social media more often than not betray who we actually are, and what we stand for. The dark side of human nature is revealed in all its gory.
Quite often now, whenever the Celtic Boys Club scandal re-emerges on the news, I try to avoid Twitter. On every side, it is too tragic to witness.
GS/ends
Celtic is seeking to settle legal claims of historical abuse at Celtic Boys Club.
Sep 2023
Lawyers acting for more than 20 former players have been told the club intends to enter settlement negotiations.
In recent years several former coaches and officials at the club have been convicted of sexual offences against teenage players spanning decades.
Celtic previously said it was not responsible because the boys club was an “entirely separate” organisation.
The club has not admitted liability and is yet to comment.
Earlier this year a judge gave the go-ahead for a US style “class action” group litigation to proceed against Celtic for alleged abuses at Celtic Boys Club.
The boys club was established as a feeder team to the senior Celtic side in 1966 and the two clubs had close ties, sharing players, officials and premises.
Lawyers acting for the former players argue the boys club and Celtic were “intimately connected” and the senior club was “vicariously liable” for assaults carried out in the youth set up.
The litigation, run by Thompsons Solicitors, relates to historical claims of sexual assault by convicted paedophiles Jim Torbett – the founder of the Boys Club – and Frank Cairney, a former coach.
A Statement from Thompsons said it was “pleased to confirm” that Celtic had indicated its intention to enter settlement negotiations within the group litigation.
It said: “Celtic Plc have not formally admitted liability or made any other formal concessions but their desire to now enter negotiations to explore the possibility of a settlement of this action has been made clear.
“This means that parties will ask the court to adjourn the forthcoming proof [hearing] to allow work to be undertaken to value individual cases.”
The firm said it would not be commenting further.
Group proceedings were brought in to Scots law in 2020. They allow groups of two or more people with the same, or similar, claims to raise a single action in the Court of Session.
A hearing for the group litigation had been scheduled for October at the Court of Session before Lord Arthurson.
Now, that hearing will not go ahead, and Celtic and Thompsons will attempt to agree terms and compensation for each claimant out of court.
Jim Torbett had been given permission by renowned Celtic manager Jock Stein to create the boys club in 1966, as an affiliated feeder team to the senior side.
A steady stream of talent flowed from the boys club into the Celtic first team throughout the 70s and 80s.
But it would later become clear Torbett’s motives were not confined to providing the stars of the future for the Parkhead club.
Torbett was convicted in 1998 of abusing three players in the 1970s, and served a short prison sentence.
But in 2016, as claims of decades-long sexual abuse rocked football, BBC Scotland started investigating Celtic Boys Club once more.
Fresh allegations were made in a 2017 BBC Scotland documentary, in which the BBC tracked Torbett down to the US and confronted him.
The documentary sparked a new police inquiry and led to Torbett being convicted in 2018 of abusing three boys in the 1980s.
A series of further convictions soon followed, with Frank Cairney and Jim McCafferty imprisoned after their decades of abuse at the boys club and other teams came to light.McCafferty died in prison last year.
As many as six men with coaching or other positions at the Celtic Boys Club have been convicted for sexual offences against children.
After the convictions, survivors of the alleged abuse took their case to the civil courts. They brought their case against the senior Celtic side arguing it bore ultimate responsibility for the abuse they suffered.
The two clubs – they said – were so intertwined as to be the same thing, with players frequently being signed to the senior club on schoolboy contracts, but being farmed out to the boys club to continue their footballing development.
Several figures, including Jock Stein, held positions at both the boys club and Celtic.
Many survivors say that there was no distinction between one club and the other, in their minds or in practice.
Since the beginning of the legal action against them, Celtic has expressed sorrow and regret at the abuse which took place but had stated publicly and argued in court that it was not responsible because the two clubs were entirely separate entities.
Now there seems to be a shift in Celtic’s position, with the club signalling to lawyers representing survivors that it is prepared to enter into negotiations to settle their cases.
It is understood discussions will take place between the two legal teams over the coming months on the exact terms of any settlements.
