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Glasgow Live
National
Ruaraidh Gilmour

Teacher accused of 'gifting pupil Buckfast to run naked' under investigation by watchdog

A teacher accused of sexually abusing and grooming schoolboys "gifted a pupil Buckfast to run around his car naked", a tribunal was told.

Ronald Burton allegedly sexually abused two young teens almost 20 years apart whilst employed in two secondary schools in East Kilbride.

The now 66-year-old was previously found guilty of abusing the children and handed a six year prison term at Glasgow's High Court in 2016.

However, after spending eight months in prison, Burton was released early after an appeal against his conviction was upheld by the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

Now, he faces being struck off the teaching register by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) who are investigating the allegations.

Burton did not attend the hearing yesterday, however police statements from two accusers were read out to the panel.

The men were unable to attend in person or give direct statements to the GTCS due to their mental health suffering as a result of the alleged abuse.

One former Scots pupil, known as Pupil A, claims he was groomed from the ages 11 to 14 between 1994 and 1997 while at school.

The statement claimed that Burton drove Pupil A around naked in Auldhouse and would ask him to perform dares in exchange for different prizes.

Pupil A claimed Burton dared him to touch him intimately.

He said: "I freaked out.

"I was gifted Bucky for running around the car naked.

"I agreed because he got upset and said, 'you must see what the last prize is'.

"I could see it was a bottle of Buckfast wrapped up.

"I used to get gifts from Ronald such as DVD box sets of Sopranos and boxer shorts."

In the summer of 1995, Pupil A said Burton would take him to John Wright Sports Centre in East Kilbride.

He said: "We used to go to the gym, that's when Ronald started the massages, which began innocent.

"On one occasion he took my trousers off to not get cream on them (legs).

"He started doing my thighs and I challenged him on this.

"He said my legs must be sore and we could make it a regular thing.

"He moved his hand up to my groin and under my boxer shorts."

The alleged massages then progressed to being done without boxer shorts where Pupil A claimed that the teacher moved his genitals to one side.

Burton has also been accused of committing a sex act in front of Pupil A and asking the schoolboy to do the same.

Pupil A said: "I cannot attach a date because it became routine."

The GTCS is also investigating claims by another former pupil, known as Pupil B, who alleges he was abused between August 2013 and June 2014 by Burton a different school in the town.

Pupil B alleged that Burton would play a Paul McKenna CD called Hypnosis Relaxation in the teacher's bedroom before massaging him, adding: "I would fall into a dream-like state...

"In the third month of massages I would wake up with no clothes on.

"Sometimes I would wake up on the bed or on the floor, sometimes my chest hurt.

"He was really good at massages, and I was annoyed that he wanted me to be naked."

Burton was fired by South Lanarkshire Council when the allegations first arose.

He has always maintained his innocence and was released from prison early in 2017 after an appeal against his conviction was upheld.

The crown relied on the Moorov doctrine to convict Burton in 2016, which allows a number of offences witnessed by only one person to be grouped to show a pattern of behaviour.

In response to the appeal, Lady Dorian highlighted that the shortest gap between offences was 17 years and that there were only two accusers.

GTCS Presenting Officer, Gary Burton, yesterday said: "The criminal proceedings initially found the allegations proven.

"This council is not bound by corroboration or Moorov."

The hearing continues.

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