Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Former Chetham's headteachers accused of ignoring abuse

Former Chetham's headteachers accused of ignoring abuse

Victims’ lawyer tells inquiry three music school bosses failed to disclose key evidence
A lawyer for some of the victims in an inquiry into child sexual abuse has attacked the evidence given by three former headteachers at a prestigious music school.

Peter Hullah, John Vallins and Claire Moreland – all headteachers at Chetham’s School of Music – were criticised for ignoring the abuse of their pupils and failing to disclose essential evidence.

A public inquiry was launched after the music teacher Christopher Ling was suspected of grooming and sexually abusing a number of girls at the school in Manchester.

Six women came forward to the Guardian to talk about how Ling groomed and abused them when they were at the school. This prompted a police investigation, known as Operation Kiso, which eventually led to the Crown Prosecution Service agreeing to apply to extradite Ling from the US to face 77 charges against 11 women when they were aged between nine and 15.

Ling shot himself at his home in Los Angeles on 1 September 2015 when police arrived to arrest and extradite him.

The head of music at Chetham’s, Michael Brewer, was jailed for six years after being found guilty of sexually assaulting one of his pupils when she was 14. His victim, Frances Andrade, killed herself after giving evidence against him.

During the inquiry into the abuse, Ling’s victims described the culture of secrecy and the “total isolation and lack of support” they experienced at Chetham’s when the abuse came to light.

Kim Harrison, of Slater and Gordon, who is representing some of the victims, told the inquiry the evidence given by the three former headteachers was “listened to by many – but it was listened to with utter incredulity”.

“John Vallins was headmaster of Chetham’s when much of the most serious abuse was occurring. When confronted with the reality that he must have known or suspected that abuse was occurring … Vallins adopted a policy of hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil,” she said.

“You then heard from Peter Hullah. He was even more brazen. He came before you, under oath, and tried to tell you with a straight face that it was justified to have claimed that Michael Brewer left Chetham’s because of ill-health … we will be inviting you to conclude that he lied to this inquiry.”

Harrison also accused Moreland of a cover-up.

“In 2013, she failed to disclose a number of suspensions and disciplinary proceedings in response to a direct question about this. Ms Moreland’s primary interest was not in protecting children, it was in protecting the reputation of the school and giving the appearance of progress on child protection without being honest and transparent with the inspectors,” Harrison said.

The inquiry heard that Chetham’s had been exposed in a “deeply disturbing light” and calls were made for increased transparency.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×