Ex-teacher at top Scottish private school too ill to stand trial for abuse allegations
John Brownlee was accused of choking several alleged victims, who were pupils at Edinburgh Academy – Craig Brown/Stockimo/Alamy Stock Photo A former teacher at one of Scotland’s leading private schools will not stand trial for a series of historical physical abuse allegations against pupils because of ill health. John Brownlee, 88, is alleged to have carried out campaigns of violence and torture against 35 schoolboys during a 20-year period while he taught at Edinburgh Academy.
Mr Brownlee is claimed to have assaulted the children, who are now all adults, by striking them with objects including a wooden bat called a clacken, a table tennis bat, a snooker cue and a golf club. The former teacher is said to have choked several alleged victims by securing their school ties to a window blind and causing them to tighten around their necks. It was also alleged that Mr Brownlee placed a boy’s head inside a locker and struck another pupil’s head with a cupboard door, causing them to lose consciousness.
Mr Brownlee faced a total of 37 allegations including 20 assault charges, 16 assault to injury charges and one complaint of cruel and unnatural treatment, all alleged to have taken place between February 1967 and December 1987. The former teacher, whose address was given as a flat in the Trinity area of Edinburgh, failed to show up in person when the case against him was called at Edinburgh sheriff court on Thursday.
Mr Brownlee would ‘be overwhelmed’
Andrew Seggie, defending, told the court that his client was unfit to attend court or to stand trial because of ill health. The prosecutor, Graeme Clark, said that the Crown agreed Mr Brownlee “is unfit for trial and the trial cannot proceed” after it received a medical report.
Mr Clark said: “[The report states] that he is unable to participate in a trial, follow the course of the trial, take in new information and unable to keep concentration. He won’t be able to follow the course of trial and will be overwhelmed in the course of the trial and will display behaviours such as reciting Latin and football facts.” The fiscal depute added all future hearings will be held in Mr Brownlee’s absence and an examination of facts hearing will be held in March, running for about 15 days.
Story continues Mr Clark said during that hearing, witnesses will give evidence to the court regarding their experiences while attending the school but said “most likely the court will make no order”. The sheriff, Alison Stirling, continued the case for the examination of facts hearing to take place.
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