Jim Torbett: Paedophile who abused young footballers also headed up Celtic’s chain of club shops — The Times and The Sunday Times
A twice-convicted paedophile was employed by Celtic while he preyed on young players, further undermining the club’s refusal to accept responsibility for systematic sexual abuse at its feeder club. Jim Torbett, 72, the founder of Celtic Boys Club, was jailed for six years in 2018 for sexually...
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A twice-convicted paedophile was employed by Celtic while he preyed on young players, further undermining the club’s refusal to accept responsibility for systematic sexual abuse at its feeder club.
Jim Torbett, 72, the founder of Celtic Boys Club, was jailed for six years in 2018 for sexually abusing boys between August 1986 and August 1994. He had previously served a two-year sentence for molesting players, including the future Scotland striker Alan Brazil, at the boys’ club between 1967 and 1974.
While expressing “regret and sympathy”, Celtic have distanced themselves from Torbett, describing the boys’ club as an “entirely separate organisation” with which they had “historic contacts”.
However, The Times can disclose that in addition to coaching he was hired by the club to run a chain of shops, selling merchandise. Torbett’s firm, the Trophy Centre, also had a long-running contract with Celtic. The revelations will heap further pressure on the champions after four senior figures at the boys’ club were convicted of molesting children over four decades.
In March 1994 The Celtic View, the club’s magazine, carried an article about sales. It states: “Jim Torbett, who oversees the Celtic Shops. . .” Four months earlier the magazine reported on how Torbett had launched a club shop in Argyle Street, Glasgow. In 1994 Celtic listed three shops, one department store concession and their staff as part of the club’s commercial division.
During his first trial in 1998 Hugh Birt, the late former boys’ club chairman, gave evidence that Jock Stein — then manager of Celtic FC — kicked Torbett out in 1974 after hearing claims of abuse, but did not inform the police.
It is a version of events corroborated by Lou Macari, the former Celtic player and manager, who wrote in his autobiography: “The wish to maintain the good name of Celtic was the only thing that kept the issue from coming to light.”
Torbett returned to Celtic Boys Club four years later and molested more boys, remaining there until 1996 when abuse allegations appeared in the press.
Passing sentence in 2018, Lord Beckett said: “You used the club as a front and a recruiting ground for boys who you could sexually abuse.”
In February Celtic FC said it was “very sorry” the abuse had happened, but still insisted that the boys’ club was separate. After Torbett’s 2018 conviction the club issued a statement saying: “Allegations regarding abuse at Celtic Boys Club first emerged in the 1990s.”
However, Celtic launched an internal investigation in 1986 that found “nothing to substantiate” the claims.
Thompsons Solicitors, which is representing about 20 abuse survivors, is preparing to launch legal action against the club. A Celtic spokesman said: “We would have no comment to make.”
A club insider added: “I’m not aware Torbett was actually employed directly by the club.”
Official magazine highlighted links
Investigations by The Times have exposed the links between Celtic FC and its scandal-hit feeder club (Marc Horne writes).
Celtic has insisted that it is not legally culpable for the widespread abuse, describing the boys’ club as “entirely separate”.
However, their position was contradicted by their own official magazine.
In 1987 an article in The Celtic View said: “It was some 20 short years back that [the Celtic manager] Jock Stein and [the chairman] Sir Robert Kelly brought the boys’ club into the Celtic family.
“It is now 18 years since Jock and [the Celtic scout] John Higgins made the connection official.”
The previous year it featured a report saying: “David Hay [the Celtic manager] complimented Celtic Boys Club and once again confirmed that they are very much a part of Celtic FC.”
An archived copy of the now-defunct feeder club website stated it was the “only official Celtic Boys Club”, while its registered address was a Celtic FC training ground.
Jack McGinn, Celtic’s chairman at the time, was found to have accepted the resignation of the boys’ club coach Frank Cairney after allegations he had abused a teenager on a US tour in 1991. Mr McGinn’s involvement appears at odds with claims that there were no links between the clubs.
The Times uncovered documents showing that Stein had personally recruited Cairney to the boys’ club in 1970.
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