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Presenter Nicky Campbell has described the sexual and physical abuse he says he suffered at the Edinburgh Academy he attended as a child, comparing one teacher to Jimmy Savile.

The 62-year-old broadcaster attended Edinburgh Academy, a fee-paying school, between 1966 and 1978, from aged five to 17.

Warning: This story contains descriptions which some readers may find distressing

He told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) that he was sexually assaulted by a teacher, Hamish Dawson, who died in 2009, and alleged he witnessed a primary-age child being sexually assaulted by another teacher, Iain Wares, whom he compared to Savile.

Savile, who is believed to be one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders, died in 2011 aged 84, having never been brought to justice for his crimes.

Permission was given by the inquiry’s chair earlier this year to identify Wares, 83, who was previously a “protected person” and was referred to by a pseudonym.

Campbell first detailed his claims of sexual abuse last year, on an episode of his podcast Different on BBC Sounds.

Speaking on Tuesday, Campbell said he was still “haunted” by his schooldays and had previously turned to prescription medication to cope with the bad memories, but described his decision to share his experiences at the inquiry as “the best decision he had ever made”.

Campbell said he had largely hidden the abuse from his adoptive parents, Sheila and Frank Campbell, saying it began in junior school but escalated in senior school.

He described a moment in preparatory school when he allegedly saw Wares molesting a young pupil in the showers.

‘The smell of carbolic soap is triggering’

Campbell said: “This has haunted me since it happened.

“It all haunts you. I have had my penis touched by a teacher.

“The smell of carbolic soap is triggering.

“I remember Wares leaning over the back of my friend and masturbating him.”

Campbell also said when he was 14 or 15 years old, he was attacked by a teacher so violently that a friend who witnessed it thought he was being mugged by a stranger. The teacher cannot be identified for legal reasons.

He said that after the alleged assault, when he threatened to contact the police, his mother had contacted Edinburgh Academy.

He described himself as a “survivor” and said: “I’m 62 years old but Hamish Dawson’s hands are still in my underwear playing with my penis.”

He also described the physical assault by another teacher as “being tossed like a ragdoll, punching and kicking me,” and said the abuse “helped shape our lives in the most heinous way”.

Wares has reportedly been fighting extradition to face charges following allegations against him during his time as a teacher in the 60s and 70s. The BBC report Wares has denied the allegations against him.

The BBC presenter became visibly angry when speaking about Wares living in a “plush retirement home” – and demanded a public apology from Edinburgh Academy, claiming it moved the teacher on to Fettes College, another high-profile school also in Edinburgh.

Campbell said: “You sent him there after a parent complained. You must [apologise] unreservedly and do it now.”

He said mandatory reporting (the legal requirement for those who work with children or in law enforcement to report child sexual abuse) “breaks this pernicious code,” and urged for it to be brought in.

A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “This has been a complex investigation and COPFS appreciates that it has been difficult for all those involved.

“In order to protect any future proceedings and to preserve the rights of the complainers, the Crown will not comment further at this stage.”

Campbell wrote a memoir, Blue-Eyed Son: The Story Of An Adoption, published in 2004, and was given an OBE for services to children in the Queen’s birthday honours in 2015.

An Edinburgh Academy spokesperson said: “Schools should be safe places for everyone and, at various points in our history, this was not the case for too many of our pupils.

“They were wronged by specific individuals whose roles were to educate, protect and nurture them. For this, the Edinburgh Academy unreservedly apologises.

“We recognise that abuse during childhood has wide-ranging consequences for that individual throughout their life and we are fully committed to supporting our former pupils and helping in the investigations into accusations of historical abuse.

“Given the seriousness of these matters, we believe it’s right that we give our views to the inquiry in the first instance and reserve any detailed comment for an appropriate time when its work has progressed.

“The Edinburgh Academy thanks those members of our community who have come forward and assisted the SCAI with its proceedings. This will have been an incredibly difficult undertaking and we applaud their courage in doing so.”

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Prosecutors call for 11-year jail sentence for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

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Prosecutors call for 11-year jail sentence for Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Federal prosecutors in New York are urging a judge to sentence Sean “Diddy” Combs to more than 11 years in prison.

Following the hip-hop mogul’s conviction on prostitution-related charges, they also want him to be fined $500,000 (£372,000), according to court filings.

Last week, defence lawyers urged a 14-month sentence. Due to time served, that would enable him to walk free almost immediately – following his arrest in September last year.

But he could, in theory, face up to 20 years in jail after being found guilty of two counts of transportation for engagement in prostitution. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Judge Arun Subramanian, a US district judge, is due to sentence Combs in Manhattan on Friday.

Sean "Diddy" Combs reacts after verdicts are read of the five counts against him, during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New
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Combs reacts after the verdicts are read in July

During his trial, prosecutors said Combs coerced two of his former girlfriends to take part in what were described as “freak offs”.

He was found guilty of transporting male prostitutes across state lines to take part in those events.

Both women testified that Combs physically attacked them and threatened to cut off financial support if they refused to take part.

However, while jurors believed Combs broke the law over using sex workers, they did not find the sexual encounters involving the women were non-consensual, which is what prosecutors had argued.

Combs was cleared of the more serious charges of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

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In a written legal submission, his defence team has detailed “inhumane” conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

They said the food sometimes contains maggots, that the rapper is routinely subjected to violence, and that he has “not breathed fresh air in nearly 13 months”.

They also said his “career and reputation have been destroyed”.

His legal team said Combs had been “adequately punished” already, was sober “for the first time in 25 years”, and had helped other inmates by creating an educational programme on business management and entrepreneurship.

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Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham will perform a headline show – and promise to remember Stephen Gately too

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Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham will perform a headline show – and promise to remember Stephen Gately too

Boyzone are reuniting for their biggest ever headline show next summer, inspired by the success of their recent documentary Boyzone: No Matter What.

Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham will perform live at Emirates Stadium, London, on Saturday 6 June 2026.

It will be the first time they’ve performed together since a five-night run at the London Palladium in 2019, and will be the largest show of their entire career anywhere in the world.

In January, a three-part documentary celebrated their success, as well as revealing the dark side of being in a boyband in the 1990s.

One of the biggest pop groups of the era, the five-working class lads from Dublin formed in 1993, put together by talent manager Louis Walsh. They broke into the UK charts the following year.

Six number one hits and five number one albums followed, with 25 million records sold across the world.

Stephen Gately’s untimely death back in 2009, as a result of an undiagnosed heart condition, means the full band will never again take to the stage, but the remaining band members say the show will be a time to remember Gately.

More on Ronan Keating

Read more: Ronan Keating on boyband fame in the 90s

Boyzone said: “We’ve been truly blown away and humbled by the response to the documentary this year. The love we’ve felt from fans all over the world has inspired us to create the ultimate experience together, headlining our own stadium show.

“The four of us can’t wait to stand together again and enjoy One For The Road.”

Ticket pre-sale kicks off on Tuesday 7 October at 9am, with remaining tickets going on general sale 9am on Friday 10 October.

With hits including Words, No Matter What and Love Me For A Reason, the band have four BRITs and an Ivor Novello award, and after reuniting in 2007, they performed four sell-out UK arena tours between 2008-2019.

Boyzone: No Matter What is available on Sky and streaming service Now

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Harry Potter author JK Rowling hits out at Emma Watson in fresh clash over transgender issues

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Harry Potter author JK Rowling hits out at Emma Watson in fresh clash over transgender issues

JK Rowling has accused Emma Watson of being “ignorant of how ignorant she is” amid their ongoing disagreement about transgender issues.

The Harry Potter films’ three central stars – Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint – have publicly backed the rights of transgender people in recent years, often distancing themselves from the author when asked about her in interviews.

Rowling, 60, has previously been accused of transphobia, which she denies.

Watson, 35, discussed her relationship with the writer on a podcast last week, telling host Jay Shetty: “I think it’s my deepest wish that I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me, and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with.”

Rowling has now shared a more than 600-word post on X in response to Watson, in which she states: “Like other people who’ve never experienced adult life uncushioned by wealth and fame, Emma has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is.”

JK Rowling in 2019. Pic: AP
Image:
JK Rowling in 2019. Pic: AP

The author went on to say the Hermione Granger actress is never going to need a homeless shelter or be placed on a mixed-sex public hospital ward.

The multimillionaire author said that “I lived in poverty while writing the book that made Emma famous” and therefore “understand from my own life experience what the trashing of women’s rights in which Emma has so enthusiastically participated means to women and girls without her privileges”.

More on Emma Watson

Rowling added that while she has found it “hard to shake off a certain protectiveness” towards the Harry Potter stars, who she has known since they were children, there was a “turning point” in her relationship with Watson in 2022.

She said this happened when Watson gave a Bafta speech saying “I’m here for all the witches”, which some saw as a criticism of the author’s beliefs on gender.

Emma Watson arrives at the Baftas in March 2022. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Emma Watson arrives at the Baftas in March 2022. Pic: Reuters

The actress then asked someone to deliver her a handwritten note saying “I’m so sorry for what you’re going through”, the author claimed on X.

This came at a time “when the death, rape and torture threats against me were at their peak” and “Emma had just publicly poured more petrol on the flames”, Rowling said.

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Watson has often publicly disagreed with Rowling.

In 2020, she was one of several Harry Potter stars who showed their support for the trans community when the author shared a series of divisive posts online.

“I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are,” the actress wrote at the time.

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