Panorama: My Teacher the Abuser

Too late….

Powerful wasn’t it
So good to know men are now feeling able to come forward to talk and to support one another
So very sad and still no harm come to the beast abuser

I only saw the second half, so I can’t comment properly until I’ve watched it all. It looks seemed very familiar to me - my brother’s school had similar problems in the late 1940s and early 50s. A bit of ‘inappropriate touching’ was considered more or less normal. My brother didn’t like it, but nobody thought it was a matter for the police. I don’t know if anything more serious went on. The masters concerned were simply moved on to another school, as was mentioned in the programme.

it was shocking ,those poor kids abused by men who should have been a good influence in their young lives ,so sad to watch the tears 60 years on.
Its a disgrace these "teachers not only got away with abuse but got glowing references for the next schools and innocents they continued to abuse.
How any child or his family could think"inappropriate touching"was NORMAL escapes me ...must be very odd families that let this happen to their young people .

I’ve watched the whole thing now. It’s certainly shocking, and it surprises me that it’s so recent. The abuse in my brother’s school was much longer ago. It was a similar type of school, a public school (in theEnglish sense), rather posh, mostly boarding but with some day boys. My brother was a day boy and probably avoided some of the worst happenings. He is almost 88 now and still hates his old school with a passion.

There are levels of ‘inappropriate touching’, and some of what was described in the programme was certainly pretty bad.

There are NO levels of inappropriate touching grandma70s it’s all wrong no teacher should ever ever ever touch a child

A bit of ‘inappropriate touching’ was considered more or less normal That is so wrong on all levels you cannot brush it under the carpet that’s how these monsters work
My brother didn’t like it, but nobody thought it was a matter for the police
That’s just the trouble can’t you see that ! Perhaps I m wrong but it sounds as if you see it as a fuss about nothing yu sound so casual about your brothers experience
.

Perhaps I wasn’t clear. It was ‘considered more or less normal’ because it was so common. Nobody was surprised. Remember I am talking about public (ie private!) schools a very long time ago, 70 years or more.

Dh went to a private school, the year before he started was the year they stopped the swimming lessons being done naked. I think it was very sadly normalised.

My brother was more worried about the violence. Prefects as well as teachers could beat the younger boys for minor (or imagined) misdemeanours - and they did..

The headmaster of my Dbro’s school (centuries old and had been visited by the Queen on one of its century-birthdays) committed suicide after being found ‘in flagrante’ with one of the boys.
This was in the 60s. It came as a great shock to many parents, mine included.
To be entirely fair, Dbro had never experienced anything untoward.

Dh says that some of the male teachers at his school (an elite city boys’ day school) were well known to have ‘inclinations’ but he never knew anything but what were then considered very minor incidents, which were more a matter of ribald joking among the boys than anything else. Not that I’m saying more major abuse didn’t happen, but he never experienced or heard about it.

i don't know why people imagine it only happened many years ago.

grandma70's maybe your brother is like these men and one day he'll feel overwhelmed and tell you he was abused...if not sexually ,phyically.Ive seen a different documentary about abuse and it was men in their 60's and 70's who couldn't carry the burden any longer .In last nights programme it was clear these mens lives and many others had been ruined by the abuse .There was no excuse ,can be no excuse for it happening or being glossed over n favour of a schools "reputation .

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/30/former-edinburgh-academy-teacher-john-brownlee-accused-of-torture-will-not-stand-trial

It's appalling that this sort of thing could go on. DH was at a catholic boarding school that was investigated during the current investigation and he was surprised to hear what had been happening. Luckily, he had not been involved. However, looking back on it he realised that he must have known what was going on but just accepted it as just one of these things. It never occurred to him to report it or to mention it in letters home (which would be censored anyway) as his mother would never believe anything bad about the Christian brothers.
Having spoken to others at schools where abuse took place it seemed that these bastards teachers were very careful who they picked. Only certain boys were selected. Maybe shyer or less robust ones.

Fort Augustus ?Aveline we have a friend who has had a very sad life due to abuse there and the perpetrator fled to Australia to escape justice or rather the Vatican moved him there.It beggers belief that these vile so called men can just walk away leaving broken lives behind

No it wasn't Fort Augustus paddyann although I read about the abuse there. It seems to have been so common. It seems unnatural to set up these residential all male establishments with dominant men and vulnerable wee boys.

Watched this and it broke my heart. I commend all the men for coming forward and Nicky Campbell for using his platform to get their voices heard. Shame on those that let this happen they are well educated and should have known better. Hopefully next year justice will be done so the men can finally get some closure.