Nicky Campbell meets daughter of teacher who allegedly abused him

The girl of a teacher who allegedly abused BBC presenter Nicky Campbell erstwhile helium was astatine schoolhouse has told the broadcaster that she cannot carnivore the information her father's "blood is wrong me".

Jenny Pearson spoke to Campbell for the latest occurrence of his podcast Different, aft proceeding claims of his experiences astatine the Edinburgh Academy.

Her begetter Hamish Dawson worked astatine the backstage schoolhouse successful the 1970s and was accused of aggregate instances of some affectional and carnal maltreatment towards young boys.

Campbell, 61, alleged successful an occurrence of his podcast past twelvemonth that helium had some witnessed and been the unfortunate of abuse that had "profoundly changed my life". He besides named Dawson, who died successful 2009, arsenic 1 of his alleged abusers.

He said helium was "badly beaten" by 1 teacher and that helium witnessed intersexual abuse, allegedly enacted connected his schoolmates, astatine the hands of different antheral astatine the institution.

Ms Pearson, a therapist, was 1 of respective radical to get successful interaction with the writer aft helium spoke publically astir his experiences, and said she had been estranged from her begetter for years earlier his death.

"I wanted to scope retired due to the fact that I judge successful the information and I can't carnivore secrets and collusion," she told Campbell. She said she was "in awe" of his determination to talk out.

'Appalling, repulsive, shameful, disgusting'

Ms Pearson and her household moved into the Edinburgh Academy boarding houses erstwhile she was seven. She said her begetter was "absent" owed to ever being "with the boys" and that she did not get connected with her mother.

While she "hand-on-heart, didn't miss him", she said she resented her begetter leaving her with her mother.

"It's appalling, it's repulsive, it's shameful, it's disgusting," she said of her father's alleged abuse. "I person spent my full nonrecreational beingness warring for the rights of children and young people, and helium was doing that."

Ms Pearson said she had spent hours speaking to different alleged victims connected the telephone since the stories astir her begetter were archetypal made public.

Dawson discontinue the Edinburgh Academy and took aboriginal status astatine the property of 56, which was rumoured to beryllium owed to pornography being recovered successful his briefcase, Campbell said.

'If I could person a transfusion, I would bash it'

Ms Pearson said his determination had ne'er made immoderate consciousness to her, saying: "I thought helium would dice there. It felt similar helium was joined to the academy."

On her determination to talk to Campbell, she added: "I don't deliberation I've been brave, I don't deliberation I've done thing special, I've done what I felt I needed to do.

"I was his daughter, I volition ever beryllium his girl adjacent though helium is dead. As I said before, I privation I wasn't. I can't carnivore that his humor is wrong me.

"If I could person immoderate benignant of transfusion I would bash it."

Speaking astir erstwhile Ms Pearson archetypal got successful interaction with him via email, Campbell told BBC Radio Scotland: "I saw the condemnation 'I excessively clasp him successful contempt', and past I work it, and past I phoned her, and it was 1 of the astir unthinkable conversations I've ever had.

"She wanted to speech to precise galore of his victims, arsenic galore arsenic she could, and she has done that, and it's conscionable been an astonishing thing.

"I deliberation she's been empowered. It's truthful empowering to speech astir this stuff. It's a monolithic step."

School moving with authorities

A connection from Edinburgh Academy said: "Like immoderate right-minded person, we are appalled by the reports of historical abuse.

"We proceed to enactment intimately with authorities specified arsenic Police Scotland and the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry arsenic they analyse what has happened. They are rightly starring connected establishing the facts and what enactment whitethorn request to follow, and we volition proceed to respect that ongoing process.

"The wellbeing of children is astatine the bosom of our schoolhouse ethos contiguous and we person robust measures successful spot to safeguard each pupil entrusted to our care. Schools should beryllium harmless places for children, and we promote anyone who has been the unfortunate of maltreatment to interaction the police."

The afloat interrogation with Ms Pearson tin beryllium heard connected Nicky Campbell's Different podcast.