Africa-Press – South-Africa. He travelled for 24 hours to see his alleged abuser in the dock of a Cape Town court. And although it was not to answer to his case, Neil Douglas will return to the UK somewhat satisfied.
“I feel better than I did before, seeing him having to give account for at least one of his crimes,” Douglas, 60, said after Mr W, 84, appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court in Cape Town on Thursday.
Douglas’ former teacher, who was his class master at Edinburgh Academy in Scotland 50 years ago, was arrested earlier this year after a pupil he taught at Rondebosch Boys’ Preparatory School in the 1980s laid charges of physical and sexual abuse following his return from the UK.
The complainant, Stephen*, who alleges that Mr W assaulted him in 1988 by touching his genitals and buttocks on a weekly basis, claims to have also witnessed similar behaviour by his former teacher towards other boys.
Mr W, who denies knowing his accuser, would ostensibly put his hands inside the pupil’s pants while reprimanding him for misdemeanours.
During his previous court appearance, the State warned that there was a possibility of more charges being added.
On Thursday, the case against Mr W was postponed to 6 June for further investigation.
According to Rondebosch Boys’ Prep’s official records, no allegations were ever made against Mr W, who taught there between 1980 and 2006. The education department’s PERSAL records, however, date back only to 1992.
The former teacher, who lives in a retirement village, is appealing his extradition to Scotland, where he is wanted on six charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour and one of indecent assault. The Sottish complainants were aged seven to 14 when they were allegedly abused during Mr W’s tenure at Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College in Scotland.
During his extradition proceedings, he admitted to having “urges” to touch Edinburgh pupils, which he had “on occasion” acted on. Mr W was found to be extraditable but was appealing the ruling.
He left for Scotland after teaching at two Cape Town primary schools in the 1960s where he also had these impulses, he admitted in his papers.
He had sought psychiatric treatment after leaving his home country, Mr W said. His behaviour, however, continued and he returned to South Africa in 1979 after an abuse complaint was lodged against him.
In January, former Scottish National Party leader Ian Blackford named Mr W as a child abuser and disclosed his identity using parliamentary privilege in the House of Commons.
In his papers, Mr W claimed that he had “managed to contain [himself]” following his return to South Africa, which Stephen rubbished.
Douglas hoped Stephen would get justice, he said outside the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court.
“I don’t know if he will ever be extradited back to the UK to answer for what he did. I hope he will be. It’s time for him to face the law,” he added.
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