Celtic pays out over £1m for boys club sex abuse claims

The lawsuit relates to historic sexual abuse at Celtic Boys Club

A lawsuit against Celtic from victims of historical sexual abuse has ended with settlements totalling more than £1million.

The combined payout has been shared by 24 former Celtic Boys Club players, with three further cases to be continued individually.

Settlement terms have not been disclosed, but Thompsons Solicitors confirmed it was a "seven figure sum". The firm said one other case had been withdrawn.

Nine further cases against the Glasgow football club, also brought by alleged survivors of boys club abuse, remain ongoing.

The group claim had been brought by 28 former players.

At the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Ian Mackay KC, representing the players, asked judge Lord Arthurson for it to be brought to an end.

Mr Mackay said Celtic and lawyers for those seeking compensation wanted each pursuer to have a settlement based on their own needs.

He said the effect of the sexual assaults varied.

"Some individuals were the subject of serious sexual assaults have relatively minor psychological consequences," he said.

"On the other hand, some individuals have been the victims of less serious sexual assaults but have enormous psychological consequences."

It took over a year to assess the victims in Celtic Boys Club for settlements

Each victim was examined by psychologists and a report was submitted to Celtic for tailored compensation.

The abuse was carried out by James Torbett and Frank Cairney who were later convicted of sex offences against young people at the boys club.

Celtic FC had claimed that it was not linked to the boys club and said it was a "separate entity".

In 2022, Lord Arthurson gave permission for a number of former boys club players to sue Celtic FC.

He heard that the two entities were "intimately connected" - a claim denied by Celtic's legal team at the time.

The survivors brought "group proceedings" against Celtic FC, in a procedure similar to an American "class action" legal case.

'Suffering of many'

Laura Connor, a partner at Thompsons, said: "Our clients have acted with resolute dignity throughout.

"At long last, they have achieved success and can take this compensation as confirmation that Celtic boys club was indeed inextricably linked to Celtic Football Club."

Celtic said it was "very sorry that these events took place at Celtic Boys Club".

It said it took the abuse "extremely seriously because of the historic contacts between the two organisations".

Lord Arthurson said the court acknowledged that the case involved "the suffering of many individuals and the related criminal conduct of others".

However, he said the proceedings had to focus on "matters of fact and law" to reach a conclusion.

He thanked the lawyers for their work and brought the proceedings to an end.