The parents of a child who had his wrists and ankles bound together with cable ties by a private school teacher have expressed their dismay that he was cleared by a sheriff and is continuing to teach. Richard Robin Greenwood was found guilty of assaulting the seven-year-old boy following a three-day trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. However, Sheriff Peter McCormack admonished Greenwood and granted him an absolute discharge, saying the court proceedings had been a “lesson learned”.
Greenwood admitted he then realised the “connotations” surrounding the use of cable ties in the game and freed the boy by cutting him loose with scissors. He said: “It was just a game. He was in cable ties for no more than two minutes until I realised the connotations of the game and took them off immediately. I agree it doesn’t sound good and it was a mistake but I never meant any harm.
Greenwood is the lead teacher of chemistry at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh which is Scotland’s only all-boys independent boarding school. He studied chemistry at Imperial College in London and spent six years working in the agrochemical industry before going into teaching in 2008.
The leader of the Scottish Family Party is suing the private Edinburgh school where he used to teach, accusing it of reneging on a deal over reduced school fees for his sons when he agreed to leave. Richard Lucas was a maths teacher at Merchiston Castle School for 23 years but says the school wanted him to go because it was unhappy about his comments outside school on matters such as abortion, sexuality and transgender issues.
Shamed rugby star Rufus McLean was a poster boy for his former private school, we can reveal. A picture of the domestic abuser playing for Scotland against Tonga was the main image on the hall of fame page on Merchiston Castle’s website… In February 2021, McLean, 22, who left the secondary in 2018, was described as a “first class” role model and interviewed on the site. Pupils were invited to watch a live webcast to hear about his journey “from Merchiston Juniors to the Scotland team”.
A teacher at one of Scotland’s leading private schools has been struck off after she admitted having sex with teenage pupils. The unnamed woman said she had had repeated liaisons with a number of boys at the school in Edinburgh between 2014 and 2015. The pupils involved were aged between 17 and 18.
Some of Scotland’s top private schools are being investigated by a national inquiry into child abuse. Gordonstoun–Prince Charles’s former school–and Fettes College, where Tony Blair was a pupil, feature in the statutory probe. Others include Merchiston Castle and Loretto, Scotland’s oldest boarding school. They are among more than 60 residential care establishments identiifed as sites of alleged child abuse or neglect.
Two top public schools attended by Prince Charles and Tony Blair are being investigated by a major national inquiry into child abuse. Gordonstoun, the alma mater of the heir to the throne, and Fettes College – where the former Labour Prime Minister was a pupil – both feature in the statutory probe. Other private schools under investigation include Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, Loretto School in Musselburgh and Morrison’s Academy in Crieff.
A teacher found guilty of sexual offences at a top private school in Edinburgh is still working in classrooms with children at another school in England.
Gordon Cruden, who taught at the exclusive Merchiston Castle, exposed himself in front of teenage boys at the school but escaped any punishment in December after a trial despite being found guilty.
Police are probing claims a former female teacher at a top private school in Edinburgh had inappropriate relationships with pupils. Merchiston Castle, which is already co-operating with an investigation into claims of historical abuse, contacted the single force over alleged behaviour that is said to have occurred more recently. Earlier this year, the Care Inspectorate “identified concerns about the quality of child protection practice” at the elite school.
A TEACHER found dead as police investigated claims of “inappropriate conduct” towards pupils left £1 million to the private boys school where he worked. James Rainy Brown, 75, who had taught for 52 years at Edinburgh’s Merchiston Castle School, hanged himself at his home after being told of the inquiry into his alleged actions.
Bachelor James Rainy Brown, 75, who had worked for 52 years at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, hanged himself at his home shortly after being told of the investigation. It is understood the claims involved lewd and inappropriate comments to pupils rather than physical abuse. Mr Brown had been a respected member of staff at the school, which charges fees of up to £26,655 a year.
