Friday 23rd of January was a day of drama in the Warwick School historic abuse saga and Paul Stainsby’s Court appearance prompted the school to send out an offensively misleading letter to alumni and parents. Since then, thanks to the power of Google, I have been swamped with emails from boys recounting horrors past, chatted to some and can reveal that another teacher from my era is now under Police investigation.
Stainsby is accused of 12 counts of sexual abuse but the severity of the sentencing were he to be found guilty meant that the case has been shunted up from Leaminington Magistrates to Warwick Crown Court where he will appear on Febuary 20 to enter his plea.
But his first appearance prompted Warwick to break cover and send the letter below to all parents and Alumni although, incredibly, not to me. Iti s almost as if they had tried to wipe me from their memory. With some prompting I got the letter.
Dear Old Warwickian,
In previous communications, I informed our community that our schools have faced cases of historic abuse, and that we were aware of allegations which had been made against former staff and were being investigated by the relevant authorities. I am writing today in relation to a case involving a former Warwick School teacher, Paul Stainsby, and the alleged abuse of pupils in his care.
Paul Stainsby taught at Warwick School in the 1980s and left the School’s employment in 1989. Today he appeared at Warwickshire Magistrates’ Court charged with offences of indecent assault and gross indecency in the period 1980-1988 against former pupils. He did not enter pleas today and has been remanded in custody. He is currently serving a prison sentence in relation to sexual offences in the 1970s and 1980s that did not relate to Warwick School.
This case will now be transferred to Warwick Crown Court. For the time being I just wanted to update you about the proceedings. Upon conclusion of the criminal process, we will be able to provide further information.
I would like to emphasise our absolute and sincere commitment to the safety of the children and young people in our care, and support for all our alumni and community more widely who may be affected by this news.
The Foundation established in May 2021 a specific Governance committee focused on historic abuse which ensures that any allegations that come to the Foundation are dealt with carefully and considerately, working with the police where appropriate, and that support is offered to those affected. We are committed to continuing to act on safeguarding matters of the past and we would encourage anyone with information about this case, concerns about Paul Stainsby’s conduct, or any matter related to allegations of historic abuse at any of our schools, to contact me at [email protected] or go directly to Warwickshire Police.
Should you have any questions or concerns, or if this news affects you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me, and we will do everything we can to support you. Likewise, should you wish to receive the previous communications referenced above, please do let me know.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Nicholson
Ends
Today, as the second underline shows there is an intimation that there may be other cases. Of course there are as Warwick knows full well. A number of those who have come to me about Alan Wilkins, David Stuke and Charles Watmough have, at my suggestion, also gone to the school. And here is the shocker. I can reveal that the school has been made aware that there is now an active Police investigation into another former teacher (from my era) who, it is claimed, sexually abused boys. OWs have given statements.
I would not name him for obvious legal reasons and he is not among those I have already named, but statements have been made by victims to the Police and Warwick School is aware of the case. Amazingly, just as with Charles Watmough, the parents of one of the victims complained to the school at the time but nothing was done about it and the man was allowed to carry on teaching at Warwick and also at another boys school in the área.
Stainsby is accused of 12 counts of sexual abuse but the severity of the sentencing were he to be found guilty meant that the case has been shunted up from Leaminington Magistrates to Warwick Crown Court where he will appear on Febuary 20 to enter his plea.
But his first appearance prompted Warwick to break cover and send the letter below to all parents and Alumni although, incredibly, not to me. Iti s almost as if they had tried to wipe me from their memory. With some prompting I got the letter.
Dear Old Warwickian,
In previous communications, I informed our community that our schools have faced cases of historic abuse, and that we were aware of allegations which had been made against former staff and were being investigated by the relevant authorities. I am writing today in relation to a case involving a former Warwick School teacher, Paul Stainsby, and the alleged abuse of pupils in his care.
Paul Stainsby taught at Warwick School in the 1980s and left the School’s employment in 1989. Today he appeared at Warwickshire Magistrates’ Court charged with offences of indecent assault and gross indecency in the period 1980-1988 against former pupils. He did not enter pleas today and has been remanded in custody. He is currently serving a prison sentence in relation to sexual offences in the 1970s and 1980s that did not relate to Warwick School.
This case will now be transferred to Warwick Crown Court. For the time being I just wanted to update you about the proceedings. Upon conclusion of the criminal process, we will be able to provide further information.
I would like to emphasise our absolute and sincere commitment to the safety of the children and young people in our care, and support for all our alumni and community more widely who may be affected by this news.
The Foundation established in May 2021 a specific Governance committee focused on historic abuse which ensures that any allegations that come to the Foundation are dealt with carefully and considerately, working with the police where appropriate, and that support is offered to those affected. We are committed to continuing to act on safeguarding matters of the past and we would encourage anyone with information about this case, concerns about Paul Stainsby’s conduct, or any matter related to allegations of historic abuse at any of our schools, to contact me at [email protected] or go directly to Warwickshire Police.
Should you have any questions or concerns, or if this news affects you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me, and we will do everything we can to support you. Likewise, should you wish to receive the previous communications referenced above, please do let me know.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Nicholson
Ends
It is good that Stainsby is named at last. Perhaps it might now publicly name Geoffrey Eve and apologise to all of his dozens of victims not all of whom have come forward to get a proivate apology.
The two underlines are mine. The first addresses the issue of transparency. I started lobbying Warwick about historic abuse in 2011. I was met with outright hostility from some and indifference from others. It took the school 10 years to start to really address the issue by which time I had referred dozens of victims to it.
As recently as 2018 it wrote to all Alumni stating that it had been spared the sex abuse scandals that had plagued other schools when already cases had been raised with the school. It took until 2022 for it to apologise privately to myself and other victims of the sadistic bastard Geoffrey Eve for what we suffered and it was only in 2023 that it started a partial ‘fess up about sexual abuse having taken place. The Police started taking victim statements about Stainsby, as the school knew full well ,in 2020.
The two underlines are mine. The first addresses the issue of transparency. I started lobbying Warwick about historic abuse in 2011. I was met with outright hostility from some and indifference from others. It took the school 10 years to start to really address the issue by which time I had referred dozens of victims to it.
As recently as 2018 it wrote to all Alumni stating that it had been spared the sex abuse scandals that had plagued other schools when already cases had been raised with the school. It took until 2022 for it to apologise privately to myself and other victims of the sadistic bastard Geoffrey Eve for what we suffered and it was only in 2023 that it started a partial ‘fess up about sexual abuse having taken place. The Police started taking victim statements about Stainsby, as the school knew full well ,in 2020.
Today, as the second underline shows there is an intimation that there may be other cases. Of course there are as Warwick knows full well. A number of those who have come to me about Alan Wilkins, David Stuke and Charles Watmough have, at my suggestion, also gone to the school. And here is the shocker. I can reveal that the school has been made aware that there is now an active Police investigation into another former teacher (from my era) who, it is claimed, sexually abused boys. OWs have given statements.
I would not name him for obvious legal reasons and he is not among those I have already named, but statements have been made by victims to the Police and Warwick School is aware of the case. Amazingly, just as with Charles Watmough, the parents of one of the victims complained to the school at the time but nothing was done about it and the man was allowed to carry on teaching at Warwick and also at another boys school in the área.
Warwick historically covered up sexual and phyiscal abuse and I shall be covering the extent of that over the weekend with more testimonies and as I name another, now dead, paedophile teacher. But its failure which remains a failure, to state explicitly how large a problema it had is not likely to encourage more victims, who may feel that they were unique or that they should somehow feel shame, to come forward.
Warwick is still failing the every growing numbers of victims by not making the exlicit statement I have soi often urged it to make and indeed urged it to make last week.
“Warwick School is aware that in former times there was a widespread problema at the school of both sexual and physical abuse and a failure by the school to safeguard our pupils. Victims should feel no shame and bear no guilt and are not alone, far from it. We hope that anyone affected will, in confidence, approach the school so that we can discuss all appropriate next steps”.