Celtic FC face legal action over historical sex abuse at boys’ club
Celtic FC insists its feeder club was an “entirely separate” organisation
PA
Marc Horne
Thursday June 25 2020, 12.00pm BST, The Times
Legal action has been launched against Celtic FC in connection with “insidious” sexual abuse at its feeder club.
Thompsons Solicitors has lodged official papers on behalf of one survivor who is seeking damages from the Parkhead club.
The firm, which represents more than 20 individuals who claim they were molested at Celtic Boys’ Club over three decades, claims it represents the largest child abuse scandal in British football.
The first test case will now be heard at the Court of Session in the coming months.
Four senior figures at the boys’ club have been convicted of molesting dozens of young players.
In February Celtic FC said it was very sorry that the abuse took place, but the club continues to insist its feeder club was an “entirely separate” organisation, with which it had “historic contacts”.
The Times has published a series of investigations uncovering evidence that appears to directly contradict Celtic FC’s position.
Similarly, the interim report of an independent review into sexual abuse within football, commissioned by the Scottish FA, said it was satisfied that Celtic and its feeder club were “inextricably” linked at the time when the abuse took place.
Thompsons claim both clubs shared a name, crest, personnel, premises and players.
Patrick McGuire, a partner with the firm, who is representing the survivors, described the legal proceedings as hugely significant.
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“One of the world’s largest and celebrated sporting institutions, Celtic FC will now have to reckon in civil court to answer for the decades of the most serious sexual abuse of children committed by their staff and close affiliates,” he said.
“These young lads and their families put their complete trust in Celtic and their feeder organisation; Celtic Boys’ Club.
“That trust was betrayed over four decades by a succession of paedophiles that operated openly within Celtic.”
Mr McGuire added: “We are now in a position where Celtic management will appear in court to argue that these victims are owed nothing by Celtic.
“Shame on them.
“This is the largest and most insidious child abuse scandal in British football.”
The accuser — who can’t be named for legal reasons — is claiming compensation for loss of earnings.
Four men who are associated with the boys’ club or Celtic FC have been convicted of abuse.
Jim Torbett, the founder of Celtic Boys’ Club, is serving six years for the systematic sexual abuse of boys — the second time he has been jailed.
The Times revealed he also ran Celtic FC’s chain of club shops in the early 1990s and organised testimonial events for club legends, including former manager and player Tommy Burns and former assistant manager Sean Fallon.
Two others — a man who cannot be named for legal reasons and Jim McCafferty, a former kitman for Celtic FC’s youth team who also worked for the boys’ club — have also been jailed for the sexual abuse of children.
A fourth, Gerald King, was convicted of child sex offences but avoided jail.
In 2004 John Cullen, who worked as the official photographer for
Celtic View, the club’s official magazine, for almost 30 years, admitted taking indecent photographs of boys as young as ten.
Cleaners found a black bag containing bundles of black and white images of naked and semi-naked boys in a store room at Parkhead.
Glasgow sheriff court heard that the cache had been hidden there for almost 20 years before the management was alerted, called in the police and sacked Cullen, who was given three years’ probation.
Last year, Peter Lawwell, the chief executive of Celtic FC, said that the club had been conducting its own investigations into the abuse scandal at the boys’ club, with a “wholly independent and experienced lawyer” leading the work.
No findings of that investigation have yet been made public.
Celtic FC have been contacted for comment.