Latest news with #Wares
Daily Record
30-06-2025
- Daily Record
Nicky Campbell calls for extradition of paedophile teacher as beast marks 86th birthday
'With every passing year, and every birthday he marks as a free man, it looks more and more like he'll be allowed to die in South Africa and that would deny justice to thousands of survivors.' Broadcaster Nicky Campbell and fellow ex-pupils of paedophile teacher Iain Wares are demanding he is finally extradited from South Africa to face justice as he celebrates his 86th birthday today – still a free man. Nicky said yesterday: 'He abused boys typically who were around nine years old and, with the help of the South African authorities, he is still doing it. 'He is still breaking the hearts of his victims. It breaks my heart every day. 'I was sexually and physically abused by other teachers at Edinburgh Academy but Iain Wares – who never taught me – is the reason I came forward. 'Seeing him sexually abuse my friend from only a yard or so away in a changing room – the image is with me every day and it breaks my heart every day. 'That's what drove me into the public domain, and the frustration we all feel knowing that it would just take a signature from the South African justice minister to get him on a plane is hard to bear. 'We know South Africa has a chaotic system of justice, but we can't understand why it is standing in the way of an old, white paedophile being sent to face justice. Is it negligence, inefficiency or worse?' Nicky, 64, said fellow survivor Neil Douglas, who flew to Cape Town in April 2023 to look Wares in the eyes as he faced a charge of sexual abuse in his homeland, had calculated that Wares had abused thousands of boys. He added: 'Those who were in his classroom were familiar with how he abused and how many boys he targeted in each group, and Neil multiplied that by the number of classes he had taught over all the years of his career. Timeline 1968 Wares travels to UK from his nativeSouth Africa to get psychological support for paedophilia. He is treated at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. 1968-73 He is employed by Edinburgh Academy to teach primary-age boys mathematics. He also coaches sports, including rugby. 1973-79 Moves on to nearby Fettes College, where he continues to teach. 1979-2006 Returns to South Africa and teaches at Rondebosch Boys' School in Cape Town. 2019 The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry hears numerous accounts of alleged physical and sexual abuse carried out by Wares, known as 'Edgar', at both Fettes College and Edinburgh Academy. 2020 Extradition order is signed after the Crown Office decides to charge him with six offences of lewd and libidinous behaviour and an indecent assault. 2022 Delays caused by the Covid pandemic and the complexity of dealing with extradition are exacerbated when Wares is charged with allegedly abusing a boy at Rondebosch. June 2022 Fettes pays a reported £400,000 compensation to one of Wares's alleged victims at the school. Dec 2022 Fettes pays a reported £450,000 to a second alleged victim of Wares. Jan 2023 Former SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford uses parliamentary privilege to name 'Edgar' as Iain Wares. March 2023 With Wares facing more than 80 charges relating to more than 40 alleged victims, Lady Smith, chair of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, agrees he can be named. April 2023 Wares appears in court in Cape Town facing abuse charge. June 2023 Alleged victims plead for justice to move more quickly fearing time will run out for them. Dec 2024 Delays mean South African case will run into next year. June 2025 Nicky Campbell demands the extradition of Wares, who turns 86 today. 'He came up with a figure, way into the thousands, and then divided it by ten so that he wouldn't be accused of overestimating it – and it was still in the thousands. 'If Iain Wares is put on trial, we believe he will emerge as the most prolific paedophile in British criminal history. 'All we ask is that he comes here and has a fair trial. If he is found not guilty and goes home, we will find a way to accept that. But he has to face justice and he should have the courage to want that himself. This has been going on for eight years, adding insult to more than 50 years of injury. 'With every passing year, and every birthday he marks as a free man, it looks more and more like he'll be allowed to die in South Africa and that would deny justice to thousands of survivors.' More than 100 victims have made allegations about Wares's sadistic physical and sexual abuse to Police Scotland and the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI). Crown Office prosecutors have presented their South African counterparts with a solid case for Wares's extradition and they feel this remains the case even though some charges are incompatible with their law and have been ruled out. It's understood the accounts of more than 60 victims in the UK are accepted as actionable by the South Africans, yet he remains a free man in a luxury retirement complex just outside Cape Town. Neil said the delays were further traumatising Wares' victims, and every passing year made justice seem less likely. He added: 'At least 72 men have complained to police. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 'We know of at least a dozen who have taken their own lives, and I have spoken to many more who cannot face the trauma of reporting his crimes. The barrier to his extradition is a request, on behalf of 65 victims, that has languished on the desk of the minister of justice in South Africa, Mmamoloko Kubayi, for over eight months. 'Were she to sign it, then Interpol could request an arrest warrant from a magistrate. 'The minister has been non-responsive to requests from journalists, campaigners and survivors. We cannot imagine why she would not approve the request to extradite a prolific child abuser and paedophile.' The South African Ministry of Justice decided last summer, after years of legal arguments, that Wares should be 'extradited soonest' to face the many charges in Scotland. But Wares, who admitted his crimes when they were first put to him, and his legal advisers, who effectively tore up his confession, have managed to delay justice for victims. Wares was described by Nicky as Scotland's Jimmy Savile when the SCAI heard evidence about his abuse of an unprecedented number of pupils at Edinburgh Academy and Tony Blair's old school, Fettes College. It is understood that if Wares is sent back, he could face the longest indictment ever seen in Scotland. He now denies all the charges despite admissions of paedophilia in his distant past. The SCIA heard he came to Scotland in 1967 to seek treatment for his paedophilia at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. The psychiatrist who treated him had been a family friend in Cape Town and encouraged him to go into teaching, describing Wares in medical notes as a 'pleasant pederast'. He taught at Edinburgh Academy from 1968 to 1973 before being forced to leave, with a glowing reference, after complaints of sexual assaults on pupils. As the inquiry heard in 2023, Fettes employed him for six years, even keeping him on after governors learned of his treatment for paedophilia and incidents at the academy, as well as allegations at their school. A South African group that lobbies for justice, Women and Men Against Child Abuse, has supported the survivors of the Edinburgh schools and recently published an article on its website calling for Wares' extradition. It said: 'From the 1960s to the early 2000s, Wares operated unchecked in elite boys' schools in the UK and South Africa. 'At Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College, he didn't only molest children, he struck them, humiliated them, manipulated them.' It added: 'He has not been arrested, he has not been extradited, and the Department of Justice has offered no answers. The men he brutalised are still living with the aftermath. 'While Wares spends his days quietly by the sea, his victims relive moments they've spent a lifetime trying to forget.' The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: 'This has been a complex investigation and COPFS appreciates 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.'
IOL News
17-06-2025
- IOL News
Survivors urge Ministry of Justice to expedite extradition process
Iain Wares, 85, accused of multiple sexual assaults. Image: File Gender-based violence organisations are preparing to write to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development, and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), calling for no more delays in the trial against 85-year-old former SA teacher, Iain Wares, who is wanted by UK authorities on 74 counts of the sexual assault of young boys. This comes after arguments were presented last week in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court during the Section 174 application, in which Wares' legal team earlier called for the charges against him to be dismissed. Judgment in the application has since been reserved to August 7. Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) said they were also calling on the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development to finalise the long-overdue fourth extradition warrant submitted by the British High Commission in October 2024. 'After years of waiting, survivors hoped for progress today. Instead, they are left in limbo once again,' said Miranda Jordan, founding director of WMACA. 'The arguments are in. The evidence has been led. But justice continues to stall." Wares is also appealing his extradition. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The local case involves a victim dubbed 'Stephen', who took the witness stand last year where he told of the indecent assault Wares allegedly inflicted on him. The 47-year-old SA victim broke the silence claiming he was abused by Wares who was his teacher at Rondebosch Boys Preparatory during 1988. Wares is facing one count of indecent assault, which allegedly took place in Rondebosch in 1988 and is accused of indecently assaulting a male victim between the age of 12 and 13 years old, by touching his buttocks and penis and rubbing his penis up against the victim. The victim's wife earlier took the stand as the State closed its case, in which she revealed how her husband broke his silence after seeing Wares on television. Wares initially made a written affidavit of admissions to having inappropriate urges to touch boys and to sexually abusing them but it was retracted with the claim that he had been ill-advised. The extradition involves allegation of former students of Wares in the UK who are all now beyond the age of 60 and that the incidents of apparent sexual and physical abuse took place between the 1960s and 1970s at schools such as Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some gun rights groups are not happy with Florida's farm bill
Wares on display at a gun story. (Photo by Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Monitor) This year's Florida farm bill would give the state an extra 90 days to issue a permit to carry a concealed gun if a background check reveals a potentially disqualifying criminal history. That is one of the changes that prompted gun rights groups to oppose the bill, HB 651, during its first hearing in the House on Tuesday. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) now has 90 days to issue or deny concealed carry permits and can suspend the process if a law enforcement agency or court notifies the department that the person applying for the permit has been arrested or charged with crimes relating to domestic violence, drugs, and other violence. HB 651 would double that time and clarify that the suspension of the permit-issuing process is temporary until the charges are dismissed or the person is convicted, but it also requires the applicant to submit to the agency evidence that the case was dismissed. Representatives from Florida Carry and Guns Owners of America argued during the House Housing, Agriculture, and Tourism Subcommittee hearing that the agency shouldn't have up to 180 days to issue a concealed carry permit if it only takes three days for a person to take possession of a gun after buying it. 'We support better reporting and record access by FDACS and [the Florida Department of Law Enforcement] to keep the process fair and efficient; any delay is an infringement,' said Jed Carroll, Florida deputy state director of Gun Owners of America. 'As Martin Luther King said, 'A right delayed is a right denied.'' Lake Placid Republican Rep. Kaylee Tuck, the bill's co-sponsor, said FDACS is not to blame for the permit delays. 'What I don't think was actually communicated in that testimony was that FDACS is not the bad actor,' Tuck told reporters after the meeting. 'They're not getting the information they need to be able to process these applications whenever there is a potentially disqualifying factor on there.' During the 90-day extension proposed in the bill, the agency can request additional information from law enforcement and courts. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
