Broadcaster Nicky Campbell recounts 1970s school assault in Edinburgh court
Nicky Campbell testified that a former teacher violently attacked him at school in the 1970s, while the accused were deemed medically unfit for trial.
At Edinburgh Sheriff Court, broadcaster Nicky Campbell gave a vivid account of a violent assault by former teacher Colin Turner at a school in the 1970s, recalling being slapped, dragged and forced to the ground. He described the episode as a ten-second period of sheer terror that has haunted him ever since. The two accused teachers, Turner, 92, and David Bourne, 72, have been found medically unfit to face trial, prompting the sheriff to hear evidence and consider possible conviction.
Campbell explained that a pupil present at the time now suffers from dissociative amnesia and cannot recall the event. He also said that reporting the attack in the 1970s would have been akin to a "nuclear" option. The hearing continues as the court evaluates the case.
Why it matters
The testimony highlights historic school abuse and the challenges of prosecuting elderly suspects deemed medically unfit.
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