Victims lawyer urges Celtic to set millions aside

BBC:
A former youth coach involved in Scottish football has been jailed after admitting a series of child sex abuse crimes.
Jim McCafferty, 73, worked at Celtic, Hibernian and Falkirk more than 20 years ago.
At the High Court in Edinburgh, he admitted 10 charges of indecent assault and one of lewd and libidinous behaviour against teenage boys.
He was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.
He is the fourth man connected to either Celtic or Celtic Boys Club to be found guilty of historical child sex abuse in the past year.

The 'or Celtic Boys Club' is superfluous, they are one and the same.
 
McCafferty said in his confession to the Record years about mini orgies taking place

Can’t find the article but admitted it was over a lng period

I still cannot fathom out why a serial child sexual abuser only gets 6 years and 9 months for a repeat offender

That sentence is criminal in its own right

Judge should be ashamed
 
Do we have any lawyer on here? I'd be interested to hear from a legal perspective what they most likely next steps will be all things considered?
 
BBC:
connected to either Celtic or Celtic Boys Club to be found guilty of historical child sex abuse in the past year.

I & many others have said 1 or 2 the club have been unfortunate. 3 & things are starting to smell. 4 or more? A blind man should be able to see that's a ring being run within the "safe confines" if that rancid club.
And everyone who is saying the sentence passed is ridiculous, you are all correct, but the tariff HAS to be decided using sentencing guidelines from the time of the offences.
 
It’s almost 11 years to the day since Saint Tommy of Calton passed away.
Tommy Burns was vehement in his defence of one of the other beasts, Frank Cairney, when the accusations first surfaced. He was either a very bad judge of character, or he was well aware of Cairney’s sordid activities and was part of the cover up of the wider paedophile ring at the Chamber of Secrets.
You decide.
I know what I think
 
From Sky:
Patrick McGuire, a partner at Thompsons Solicitors, said, "With McCafferty today pleading guilty and being convicted of abuse it shows and puts beyond any doubt that the level of abuse that took place in a general Celtic football setting was absolutely prolific, it was horrific."

That’s the quote that stands out to me so far. This is the same bloke (despite his name) that appears to have been keeping his powder dry for months on these bastards. Should be an interesting few days ahead for timmy.
 
From Sky:
Patrick McGuire, a partner at Thompsons Solicitors, said, "With McCafferty today pleading guilty and being convicted of abuse it shows and puts beyond any doubt that the level of abuse that took place in a general Celtic football setting was absolutely prolific, it was horrific."

This statement kind of blows the poster on here yesterday out the water

They were telling us the Tims had issued the victims lawyers with a counter suit and they would sue them

Don’t think so Timmy

Patrick McGuire now has McCaffertys conviction to pursue CFC for damages

I hope someone has evidence and copies of any alleged confidentialty letters issued to victims and parents to keep this quiet

Shame on them !!
 
I think this is a placeholder article until they can do something extensive. They want to be at the forefront of all breaking news, like most of the national outlets. Not defending BBC or that, but I'm sure we'll get some more information later.
I'm just surprised they beat SKY to it.
 
Quote from the record: One of his victims was attacked at CelticPark while others were assaulted at hotels, training grounds and in his car.
 
This statement kind of blows the poster on here yesterday out the water

They were telling us the Tims had issued the victims lawyers with a counter suit and they would sue them

Don’t think so Timmy

Patrick McGuire now has McCaffertys conviction to pursue CFC for damages

I hope someone has evidence and copies of any alleged confidentialty letters issued to victims and parents to keep this quiet

Shame on them !!
Someone posted on here a few days ago that The Daily Record have been sitting on these until McCafferty's case concludes.
 
Full sentencing statement below, as published on the Judiciary of Scotland website:

On sentencing, Lord Beckett made the following statement in court:
“James McCaferty, I take account of all that has been said in mitigation. I note your age and take account of what I have been told about your state of health.
“I have taken account of your apology and expression of contrition but that can only go so far given the harm which you have caused. I will make an allowance for your having pled guilty at a relatively early stage so that none of the complainers have had to give evidence.
“I note that when you were coaching boys in the various capacities described, you have been portrayed as being physically intimidating and an overpowering personality which you used to achieve your depraved objectives.
“You took advantage of your position of trust as a football coach to groom and then sexually abuse boys who played for your teams.
You were adept at identifying the circumstances of different boys so that you could manipulate them, and in some cases their parents, in a variety of ways. All of this was done to facilitate your sexually abusing children.
“Ten complainers are named in this indictment. Your offending was carried on between 1972 and 1996. For many of the complainers the sexual abuse you inflicted on them was repeated regularly over a number of years.
“From seven impact statements which I have read and considered carefully, I have learned of the serious and lasting effects of your prolonged course of criminal conduct.
“Careers did not reach their full potential, some were cut short and lives have been seriously blighted. Many of those that you abused have suffered from enduring anxiety and depression caused by what you did.
“Conduct of this kind has a wider effect which is corrupting and socially corrosive. It has the potential to undermine the trust which people place in youth football and sports clubs. It may discourage children from joining clubs and talented coaches from leading them.
“Children being physically active and engaging in team sport is a social good which should be cherished, promoted and protected. The courts must do what they can to seek to eradicate the sexual abuse of children engaged in sport.
“It is necessary to punish you, to seek to deter you and others who would behave in this way and to mark society’s disapproval of such a prolonged course of sexual offending against children committed in breach of the trust placed in you by aspiring young footballers and their families.
“Given some relatively recent convictions of a similar nature, protection of the public remains a relevant consideration in your case.
“I will impose one sentence to cover all of the charges. Having regard to the whole circumstances, an appropriate sentence would be imprisonment for nine years.
“I do not consider your pleas of guilty to have been tendered at the first opportunity. In the normal course of events the case would have by now been indicted to a preliminary hearing.
“However, there is value in your having pled guilty in circumstances whereby a trial was never fixed and no-one had to give evidence. Accordingly, you will go to prison for six years and nine months, backdated to 25 October 2018.
“I certify that you have been convicted of sexual offences within the scope of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. You will be subject to notification requirements, commonly known as being put on the sex offender’s register, indefinitely.
“I direct the clerk of court to intimate details of your convictions to the Scottish Ministers so that they can determine if you should be included on the list of persons unsuitable to work with children.”
 
A bit sinister that the 'article' appears only in the West of Scotland part of the BBC Website, not the main Scotland site and unbelievably wasn't mentioned at all in any part of the 12.00 noon BBC Scotland News (the John Beattie thing).

That can't last for long but disgraceful nevertheless.
 
Stream SKY illegally and you get more jail time....money worth more than weans....fu(kin disgrace!

Offences involving money and property have always drawn more severe punishment than offences against people. That's the way the system has always been set up.

Even so, less than seven years for 12 charges of child sex abuse over 26 years is a shockingly lenient sentence. I can only hope that he has six and a half years of utter hell, and dies a horrible death just before his release date.
 
Do we have any lawyer on here? I'd be interested to hear from a legal perspective what they most likely next steps will be all things considered?

I’m by no means a qualified solicitor in studying legal services at college but if my understanding is correct

Celtic would need to be issued with the claim against them by the solicitor for the victim or a sheriff clerk. The case could be heard at either the sheriff court or the outer house court of session . If claim is over 100k it could be either. If below then it’s the sheriff. They would then have 21 days to either accept liability and agree to pay, dispute it in court or ignore it. If they ignore it then a sheriff/judge can issue a decree in absence and we go on from there. With a date set for a court hearing

Someone more qualified may come on and tell me I’m wrong but that’s what I’m thinking
 
“Ten complainers are named in this indictment. Your offending was carried on between 1972 and 1996."
Were was He employed between these dates .
 
Full sentencing statement below, as published on the Judiciary of Scotland website:

On sentencing, Lord Beckett made the following statement in court:
“James McCaferty, I take account of all that has been said in mitigation. I note your age and take account of what I have been told about your state of health.
“I have taken account of your apology and expression of contrition but that can only go so far given the harm which you have caused. I will make an allowance for your having pled guilty at a relatively early stage so that none of the complainers have had to give evidence.
“I note that when you were coaching boys in the various capacities described, you have been portrayed as being physically intimidating and an overpowering personality which you used to achieve your depraved objectives.
“You took advantage of your position of trust as a football coach to groom and then sexually abuse boys who played for your teams.
You were adept at identifying the circumstances of different boys so that you could manipulate them, and in some cases their parents, in a variety of ways. All of this was done to facilitate your sexually abusing children.
“Ten complainers are named in this indictment. Your offending was carried on between 1972 and 1996. For many of the complainers the sexual abuse you inflicted on them was repeated regularly over a number of years.
“From seven impact statements which I have read and considered carefully, I have learned of the serious and lasting effects of your prolonged course of criminal conduct.
“Careers did not reach their full potential, some were cut short and lives have been seriously blighted. Many of those that you abused have suffered from enduring anxiety and depression caused by what you did.
“Conduct of this kind has a wider effect which is corrupting and socially corrosive. It has the potential to undermine the trust which people place in youth football and sports clubs. It may discourage children from joining clubs and talented coaches from leading them.
“Children being physically active and engaging in team sport is a social good which should be cherished, promoted and protected. The courts must do what they can to seek to eradicate the sexual abuse of children engaged in sport.
“It is necessary to punish you, to seek to deter you and others who would behave in this way and to mark society’s disapproval of such a prolonged course of sexual offending against children committed in breach of the trust placed in you by aspiring young footballers and their families.
“Given some relatively recent convictions of a similar nature, protection of the public remains a relevant consideration in your case.
“I will impose one sentence to cover all of the charges. Having regard to the whole circumstances, an appropriate sentence would be imprisonment for nine years.
“I do not consider your pleas of guilty to have been tendered at the first opportunity. In the normal course of events the case would have by now been indicted to a preliminary hearing.
“However, there is value in your having pled guilty in circumstances whereby a trial was never fixed and no-one had to give evidence. Accordingly, you will go to prison for six years and nine months, backdated to 25 October 2018.
“I certify that you have been convicted of sexual offences within the scope of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. You will be subject to notification requirements, commonly known as being put on the sex offender’s register, indefinitely.
“I direct the clerk of court to intimate details of your convictions to the Scottish Ministers so that they can determine if you should be included on the list of persons unsuitable to work with children.”

If I'm reading that right regarding the backdating, is this meaning that he will already have served 7(?) months of the "sentence"?
 


From that judgement:

“However, there is value in your having pled guilty in circumstances whereby a trial was never fixed and no-one had to give evidence. Accordingly, you will go to prison for six years and nine months, backdated to 25 October 2018".

Please tell me I'm reading that bit wrong. Sentence backdated to October 2018. He is already serving 3 years and 9 months for the convictions in Northern Ireland, so that suggests to me that the two sentences will run concurrently (rather than consecutively). If that's the case then he will, effectively, only serve and additional 3 years or so for these 12 convictions today. Surely that can't be correct? Tell me I'm wrong somebody.
 
The Interim Report of the Independent Review of Sexual Abuse in Scottish Football
15th June 2018


I expect the full report will now be published today?
 
I will be glad when all this is over, knowing the brass neck of the tims however, sadly I think this will roll on and on.

Hopefully it will all come out and those complicit will be named and that horrible club get hammered from all quarters.

I would love to see some of there sponsors pull out, stating that they cannot be associated with a business that turned the other cheek when the abuse was going on right under there noses
 
I’m by no means a qualified solicitor in studying legal services at college but if my understanding is correct

Celtic would need to be issued with the claim against them by the solicitor for the victim or a sheriff clerk. The case could be heard at either the sheriff court or the outer house court of session . If claim is over 100k it could be either. If below then it’s the sheriff. They would then have 21 days to either accept liability and agree to pay, dispute it in court or ignore it. If they ignore it then a sheriff/judge can issue a decree in absence and we go on from there. With a date set for a court hearing

Someone more qualified may come on and tell me I’m wrong but that’s what I’m thinking
100K for want the victims suffered and are still suffering is fek all.
It will be gone before they know it. They should be set up for life and at least have no financial worries for the rest of their days.
 
From Sky:
Patrick McGuire, a partner at Thompsons Solicitors, said, "With McCafferty today pleading guilty and being convicted of abuse it shows and puts beyond any doubt that the level of abuse that took place in a general Celtic football setting was absolutely prolific, it was horrific."

"The victims' lawyers want to see a judge-led inquiry into what they regard as the biggest abuse scandal in British sport."

Agreed, it is the biggest scandal in British sport's history - and the Scottish media, COPFS, Police, politicians have known all the sordid details for years and sat on it and tried to make it go away.
They should all be locked up and if there is a hell, then they have all booked their places.

Why look into the biggest child abuse case in world sport when you can run around the north east looking for a Rangers fan who may have stood on a sandcastle.
 
Dornan straight in here.

Much work to be done now...

voweo5.jpg
 
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