Celtic settles 85% of Boys Club sex abuse claims in group action

BBC News

a day ago

Celtic has settled 85% of claims in a lawsuit brought against the club by sex abuse victims, a court has heard.Judge Lord Arthurson heard how the club had made compensation payments in 24 out of 28 claims brought against it in group proceedings.The Court of Session also heard how lawyers in the case hope the remaining claims can be settled in the near future.Celtic's lawyer Ewen Campbell told the court his client wanted to bring the remaining cases to an end.
He said it would not be in the club's "interests" to allow the matters to continue or be heard in new actions separate from the group proceedings.This prompted Lord Arthurson to fix a final hearing in the action for September.
He said: "I am very pleased to hear that everybody is agreed that the proceedings have been effective."With regard to the four that are left, my inclination is to fix a final hearing in this case for the week beginning 1 September."That will be the final hearing in the case - that will be a case management hearing."At that stage, you will have had the opportunity to wrap up the matters that require to be wrapped up, discussions can continue actively and thereafter the court would listen very favourably to the motion that is made."In 2022 Lord Arthurson gave permission for a number of former Celtic Boys Club players to sue Celtic Football Club.He had heard the action should proceed because the two entities were "intimately connected" to each other - a claim denied by Celtic FC's legal team at the time who said the two organisations were separate from each other.The sex abuse survivors have brought "group proceedings" against Celtic FC PLC in a procedure which is similar to US class-action style litigations.The abuse was carried out by convicted paedophiles James Torbett and Frank Cairney at the youth club, which was not officially linked to Celtic FC.
Close links to Boys Club
During previous proceedings, Ian Mackay KC told Lord Arthurson that lawyers for the men had uncovered evidence which showed apparent close links between Celtic Boys Club and Celtic FC.Mr Mackay said: "Celtic Boys Club was intimately connected to Celtic Football Club - it was branded as being closely connected to Celtic Football Club."Players played in Celtic strips and wore blazers which were virtually identical to those worn by Celtic FC players."Football kit, holdalls and training gear were provided by Celtic Football Club."The pursuers' understanding was that they were playing for the boys club of Celtic Football Club."He added that Celtic Boys Club trained at Barrowfield, the training ground of Celtic Football Club and Celtic Park, as well as elsewhere."Celtic Football Club exercised control over who played for Celtic Boys Club because scouts recruited players who they considered were good enough to play for Celtic Football Club and diverted them to Celtic Football Club," Mr Mackay had told the hearing. "The Boys Club was a nursery for senior team players. Celtic Boys Club was in effect what could be now known as the academy of Celtic Football Club."Articles about Celtic Boys Club appeared regularly in the Celtic View, the club's newspaper - and the club was referred to as being part of the Celtic family."Celtic is vicariously liable for assaults."
Earlier this year, Thompsons Solicitors - who acted for the players - said a seven-figure payout had been agreed between Celtic and the Boys Club players.Laura Connor, a partner at Thompsons, said: "Our clients trusted us to fight for them on these difficult cases and ensure their voices were heard."This litigation has been made far more complex and lengthy by the defender, while our clients have acted with resolute dignity throughout."At long last, they have achieved success and can take this compensation as confirmation that Celtic Boys Club was indeed inextricably linked to Celtic Football Club."Celtic said it was "very sorry that these events took place at Celtic Boys Club" and that it took the abuse "extremely seriously because of the historic contacts between the two organisations".On Thursday, Mr Campbell said all the cases that could be settled had been brought to an end.He added: "These are four cases which each have individual issues associated with them which prevent them from progressing."These are four individual cases which are going to turn on individual facts - which if they have been brought to court initially - I think would never have justified in themselves group proceedings - it would have been more efficient to proceed with them individually."If the solicitors instructing them can obtain instructions from these four individuals then the defenders are open to discussing the cases."It's not going to be the case where group proceedings come to an end and we shut the door and force anybody to raise new proceedings - that's not in anybody's interests, that's not in the defender's interests."The case will next call on 4 September 2025.