Tv programme about Torbett - new allegations.

[pete 2,499]

TOP CLUBS WARNED OFF Ex-Rangers youth scout Harry Dunn abuse fears – FOUR chances to stop ‘perv’ were missed

 

Harry Dunn’s name was flagged up to the SFA, Liverpool and Chelsea football clubs and police

 

 

 

FEARS over a former Rangers youth scout accused of abusing a footie starlet were raised with the SFA and two top English clubs as well as cops.

 

We can reveal Harry Dunn’s name was flagged up to the game’s rulers along with Liverpool and Chelsea FC.

people

 

 

We told yesterday how cops are probing Dunn, 84, over claims he tried to rape ex-Ibrox youth Darren Mixon in 1984, when he was 16 — after ignoring his first report of the alleged attack eight years after it happened.

 

Darren’s pal Tam Smith said he first learned of suspicions about Dunn at a tournament in 1990 when he was coaching a boys team.

Another coach shouted at Dunn, by now a Liverpool scout: “You shouldn’t be around kids.”

 

Tam said: “I was taken aback. He was in a rage. He explained later and told me a few stories told to him over the years about Dunn.I heard enough to convince me he was a risk to kids, so I called Anfield.”

 

Tam spoke to Reds legend Steve Heighway, then the youth boss. He said: “He didn’t say much, but seemed to take an interest and note things down.

 

“Soon after, I heard Liverpool dumped Dunn so I was glad I took action — but he just moved elsewhere.” In 1992, Darren confided in his pal about his ordeal when Dunn’s name cropped up as a Chelsea scout.

 

He was helping out Tam with a team from Edinburgh’s Hutchison Vale boys club at a Sweden tournament.

 

They met an Irish dad and son excited that the lad was invited for a trial at Stamford Bridge — through Dunn.

 

Darren, 49, said: “I just blurted out, ‘oh no, not Harry Dunn’ and I had to walk away.” He told his story to ex-cop Tam and they went to St Leonard’s cop shop in Edinburgh to report it, but no one got back to Darren.

 

Tam also contacted Chelsea but they took no action.

 

He said: “I was disappointed in Chelsea, but as a former officer, I was disappointed and angry Lothian and Borders did not follow up the report of attempted rape on a young boy.”

 

The SFA was made aware of Dunn’s reputation after he appeared in a TV show about Stirling’s tough Raploch housing scheme.

 

Tam said he phoned them 10 to 15 years ago and spoke to a security officer who said that unlike coaches, scouts were not checked.

 

He said he was unaware of any action being taken.

 

Tam, now a children’s social worker and leader of Hutchie Vale, is dealing with the fallout from the club’s association with footie beast Gordon Neely — another former Rangers youth coach.

 

Cops are now investigating Dunn over the alleged attack on Darren after he plied him with booze and took him to his flat in Edinburgh after a tournament.

 

Liverpool FC did not comment. Chelsea said: “We take all allegations of abuse seriously. We are determined to fully support those affected, and any investigations.”

 

The SFA is reviewing allegations of historical abuse. A spokesman said: “We will consider whether the SFA was aware of matters highlighted and what steps were taken to protect children.”

 

scottish-sun@the-sun.co.uk

 

This was the guy they could not name.

[ian1964 10,761]

From the herald website tonight...

 

New Celtic Boys' Club sex abuse allegations

 

Football

Football

26 mins ago / Brian Donnelly, Senior News Reporter / @BrianDonnellyHT

0 comments

NEW allegations of child sex abuse have been made against the founder of Celtic Boys' Club.

 

More alleged victims of Jim Torbett have come forward claiming that he sexually abused them during the 1980s and 1990s, the BBC reported.

 

Torbett "vehemently denies" the allegations against him.

 

It was reported there are also new claims about former Hibernian and Rangers coach Gordon Neely, who died in 2014.

 

An alleged victim claims he was repeatedly raped by Neely from the age of 11.

 

Rangers sacked him over alleged abuse and the club said it informed the police.

 

 

The allegations about Torbett and Neely were made in a BBC programme Football Abuse: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game, on Monday.

 

They include that there is new evidence that the reasons for Torbett leaving Celtic Boys' Club in 1974 were covered up and there were missed opportunities by football clubs to stop Neely's abuse.

 

Celtic Boys' Club was founded by Jim Torbett in 1966 with the permission of the then Celtic FC manager, the late Jock Stein and former chairman Sir Robert Kelly.

 

It was created as a separate entity from the football club, but it has been closely linked throughout its history and acted as a feeder club, producing a string of Celtic players including Roy Aitken, Paul McStay and Tommy Burns.

 

Torbett had two stints at the Boys' Club, the first from 1966-1974.

 

He returned to the boys' club around 1980 and stayed until a series of newspaper articles revealed abuse claims against him in 1996.

 

He was jailed for two years in 1998 on conviction of abusing three former Celtic Boys' Club players, including former Scotland international Alan Brazil, between 1967-74.

 

In a statement, Celtic FC said the club was "fully committed to safeguarding children".

 

The statement went on: "Celtic Boys' Club was separate and distinct organisation from Celtic Football Club.

 

"It was vital that justice was served at that time, due to the extremely serious nature of this issue."

 

 

The statement added that anyone with any concerns should contact the club.

 

In a statement Rangers said: "It is understood the individual was dismissed immediately and that the police were informed.

 

"All employees adhered to the strictest codes of conduct."

 

The club added that it would "always co-operate fully" with the authorities.

 

Deny!,deflect! and why would anyone contact the club?, should they not be contacting plod?.

 

Horrendous viewing tonight,shocking how these kids have had their lives ruined by these bastards!, I hope they can get some sort of justice!

[Walterbear 557]

Grim viewing. Dreams destroyed. Lives destroyed. Almost wilful proliferation of child sex abuse at clubs. Let's hope this is the start of some ripping up of floorboards and along with the police investigation will lead to justice for the victims and prosecutions of those who were active or complicit in these crimes. A lot of people formerly in senior positions at clubs have serious questions to answer about what they knew, what criminal sexual activity they covered up, what their motives were for turning a blind eye and how widely this subculture of abuse was tolerated.

 

Mark Daly could have dug deeper however it may not be straightforward with the police investigation taking place. Let's hope he follows up with the same vigour he has shown previously. What is disturbing is that it has taken so long for serious investigative journalism to build on the many leads that have been in the public domain for such a long time.

 

Incidentally the non commital response by the police to the FOI request with respect to Neely and whether he was reported appears to be in accordance with sections 34 & 35 of the FOI Act. Daly could have made that clearer and it should be made clear on the BBC website. The formal police response to the FOI implies the matter is under investigation so they are saying nothing at this stage and it states that their silence does not mean they do not have the information.

[ian1964 10,761]

Slightly off topic but has anybody seen this?, first time I have seen it!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4J4KGHS0Rg

[Walterbear 557]

I found the Celtic response difficult to understand. If you know anything contact the police. You don't contact an organisation that is clearly at the centre of a major cover up of the crimes you are reporting!.

 

Also legally disassociating themselves from the Boys Club will not wash and in fairness to Daly he blew that one out the water. The organisations are deeply embedded with one another since inception of the Boys Club from a sporting, administrative, and commercial perspective.

Edited April 11, 2017 by Walterbear

[ian1964 10,761]

Former Hibs chairman ‘sacked coach at centre of sex abuse scandal but didn’t tell police’, source claims

 

Written by Graham McKendry, 11 December 2016

 

A TALENT-spotter at the centre of the football sex abuse scandal was previously sacked for molesting children, The Sunday Post has been told.

Disgraced football coach Gordon Neely – this week accused of rape by one person and indecent behaviour by another – was dismissed by Hibs in 1986 for abusing two boys, a well-placed source has claimed.

But the Edinburgh club’s former chairman is said to have hushed up the claims and didn’t call in the police for fear of the damage it would do to Hibs’ reputation.

And that means that a vital chance 30 years ago to blow the whistle both on Neely’s alleged behaviour and the wider issue of sex abuse in football was missed.

As a consequence, Neely was free to move to Rangers with his reputation as a sought-after talent-spotter intact.

At Ibrox, he had four more years of involvement in football and access to vulnerable youngsters. His time at Rangers was halted, however, in 1990 when then-manager Graeme Souness sacked him after a youth team player complained to his father that Neely had abused him.

But Neely would never have got the job at Rangers had the Ibrox club been aware of the fact he had been axed by Hibs for molesting two boys on the club’s books.

Hibs said on Monday that the club had “no record” of any complaints against Neely while he was an employee.

But sports journalist Ray Hepburn has now revealed that former Hibs chairman Kenny Waugh told him he sacked Neely after complaints from two sets of parents that he had sexually abused their sons.

Worried at the negative impact a child abuse scandal would have on Hibs’ ability to recruit young talent, Waugh then decided not to involve the police.

The revelation comes in the week it emerged Neely is feared to have carried out a string of sexual assaults on young players while at Edinburgh youth side Hutchison Vale, before he started at Hibs.

Hepburn, a close friend of Waugh, revealed: “Kenny wanted it dealt with swiftly to re-affirm Easter Road was a safe place for youngsters. So Rangers were denied knowledge of Neely’s activities – and they would certainly never have employed him, had they known.

“Kenny told me the parents said their children had been molested. He was a decent man and was rightly appalled.

“But he was very worried that if anyone found out, Hibs would lose out on the talent the club needed to try and compete with Hearts and the Old Firm.

“He swore me to secrecy. I’m setting the record straight on Kenny dealing with it as sadly he passed away in 2015 and couldn’t do that himself. I’d be very happy to assist if the police want to speak to me about this information.”

Hepburn added: “Kenny told me in the spring of 1986 what happened over a drink in the Centre Court Bar in Colinton, Edinburgh.

“I remember it absolutely clearly. We were both football people – but we were friends as well and our families socialised together.

“Kenny and his wife Dorothy were guests at my home in Perthshire for family events like birthdays and anniversaries.

“It was a huge year for Edinburgh football after Hearts were pipped for the title on the last day of the season.

“Kenny was staggered when the Neely situation landed on Hibs and told me in the strictest confidence.”

He added: “Those were different times. That was the way these things were dealt with. I think we are going to hear a lot more of the same in the coming months.”

Neely began his coaching career with Edina Hibs and Hutchison Vale boys’ clubs in Edinburgh.

He helped to teach a number of talented youngsters who went on to enjoy successful football careers.

Neely worked for Dundee United to recruit promising players to the club before he joined Hibernian.

Hepburn added: “It was a different time. Waugh’s treatment of Neely was kept on a need-to-know basis.

“So it doesn’t surprise me that nothing was written down at the club or, if there was, that no record has survived of it.

“This was before you had big Human Resources departments and detailed written employment procedures.

“His approach was two-fold.

“Firstly, to get Neely out of Easter Road instantly – that was simple, his feet never touched the ground.

“Secondly, he had to make sure parents would be happy and secure sending their boys to Hibs, a club with an exemplary record of producing top young stars.

“Rangers, Celtic, Hearts and Aberdeen were hoovering up all the young talent in the central belt and Hibs, with their lesser budget, had to get their share.

“He spoke with the parents involved and the agreed response was not to involve the police. Back then, the chairman’s word would have been final – and if he wanted it kept quiet then that’s what would have happened.”

Neely was dismissed by Souness at a meeting attended by the then Ibrox manager and his assistant Walter Smith in 1990. The showdown happened after a youngster confided in his dad, a serving police officer, about an abuse incident involving Neely. His axing effectively ended his career in football.

On Tuesday, victim Colin Anderson, 49, told how Neely sexually assaulted him three times while he was a youth at Hutchison Vale, adding: “He’s the Jimmy Savile of Scottish football.”

Neely died of cancer two years ago, aged 62. Some reports in 1986 suggested Neely had been “poached” by Rangers but it’s believed that version of events may have been placed with journalists by Neely himself.

Last night, abuse campaigners said a golden opportunity to nail a prolific child abuser had potentially been missed.

Andy Lavery, founder of survivors’ group White Flowers Alba, said: “If this is true, it is an absolute disgrace. I’m beyond angry to hear this. The police should have been brought in. Neely went to Rangers with a clean bill of health.

“People have suffered across Britain because of the inability in the past of football clubs to deal with this.

“Every time they’ve not done something they have failed children.”

Open Secret is a community-based organisation which provides support for people affected by childhood abuse.

Its chief executive, Janine Rennie, said: “Sadly this is something we deal with time and time again when child abusers have not been brought to justice and have gone on to abuse other children.

“Often it’s more about reputation than protecting children. I’m very concerned about that but not surprised.”

A Hibs spokesman said last night: “We would encourage Mr Hepburn to go to the police with his information.”

For more information on abuse go to http://www.whiteflowersalba.org.uk. If you’re a victim of the scandal engulfing football, please contact The Sunday Post on 0141 567 2812.

 

NEARLY 100 football clubs are now involved in a nationwide probe into allegations of abuse.

The story ignited last month when former Crewe and Sheffield United player Andy Woodward, 43, claimed to have been abused by former coach Barry Bennell, 62, who has since been charged with historical child sexual abuse.

Last week the National Police Chiefs Council revealed there were 83 potential suspects and 98 clubs involved in Operation Hydrant. Scottish clubs embroiled include Motherwell, Celtic, Rangers, Hibs, Falkirk and Partick Thistle.

 

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/missed-chance-to-stop-abuser/

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Ive said this before. Hibs and celtc sought sporting advantage in covering this up. They should losevall trophies since.

 

Same goes for any other club covering it up us included if they did.

 

 

 

 

[SteveC 150]

" He was a decent man" ffs, Hepburn. decent men don't do what he did - allow a molester to continue preying on children for personal gain. "Decent" - jeezo

Edited April 11, 2017 by SteveC

[Uilleam 5,966]

Ive said this before. Hibs and celtc sought sporting advantage in covering this up. They should losevall trophies since.

 

Same goes for any other club covering it up us included if they did.

 

Certain clubs gained sporting advantage.

I do not believe that Stein's desire to protect the "good name" of the club was an end in itself.

If the whole sordid tale had been brought into the open, there would have been significant ramifications: eg in recruitment generally, including, clearly, youth recruitment and development, and in brutal economics with match attendances very likely to have been adversely affected, to say nothing of sponsorship and merchandising.

[ian1964 10,761]

Statement in response to the ‘BBC Scotland Investigates’ documentary

Tuesday, 11 April 2017

 

Following on from the ‘BBC Scotland Investigates’ documentary examining historical child sexual abuse in football, the Scottish FA has issued the following statement:

Stewart Regan, Scottish FA chief executive: "The independent review into allegations of historic child sexual abuse in Scottish football is currently under way and we await its findings.

"The latest allegations are a matter for the investigatory authority, Police Scotland.*

"We would urge anyone who has suffered abuse to come forward using the dedicated, confidential NSPCC 24-hour helpline 0800 023 2642, directly to the police on 101 or via email to the Scottish FA at childrenswellbeing@scottishfa.co.uk."

 

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=16883&newsCategoryID=1