Stubton Hall School: Abused former pupils ordered to pay for court delay

Children were sexually abused by staff at Stubton Hall School, near Grantham

Former pupils abused by teachers at a Lincolnshire school say they have been ordered to pay more than £7,000 for a court delay which was not their fault.

The group want access to their pupil records as they seek damages from the county council, which ran the school.

A court hearing to try to obtain the documents was adjourned as it was only listed for 15 minutes, and now the council wants the victims to pay costs.

Lincolnshire County Council said it "expresses deep regret" over the abuse.

Heather Sandy, executive director for children's services, said: "We wish to apologise to the victims.

"We are unable to comment further at this time because of the legal claims.

"The council is addressing the legal issues raised by the claimants through the litigation."

Stubton Hall School was a boarding school for children with special educational needs which closed in 2003.

Andrew Grove and Co Solicitors, based in Cambridge, is representing the 46 people who want to sue the council for damages over alleged mistreatment at the school.

It comes after two teachers - David Taylor and Raymond Longley - were jailed in 2021 for sexual offences carried out between 1983 and 1995.

Those seeking damages include Clare, whose name has been changed, who was groomed and raped from the age of 12 by Taylor, the deputy headmaster.

She went on to have his child and said the abuse still "haunts me from the minute I get up to the minute I go to bed".

'Unreasonable' demand

Mr Grove said: "We have been struggling to get copies of the former pupils' files and other documentation from the council and on Friday [5 May] there should have been a court hearing and a judgement in relation to that.

"Unfortunately the court hearing had to be adjourned, and although this was something we had no control over and was in no way our clients' fault, the council's solicitors are asking them to pay the authority's costs.

"The claimants also incurred substantial wasted costs by reason of the adjournment and there are other avenues for both parties to seek recovery of their wasted costs.

"The fact that the demand was made at all demonstrates the unreasonableness of the council in dealing with this litigation brought on behalf of a group of vulnerable claimants."

Clare said: "What has the council got to hide? I would like to ask them why they are being so obstructive and why they've hired an expensive barrister to try to stop us from accessing our own records?

"We've suffered another painful setback in our fight for justice and then to rub salt in the wounds, they want us to pay their costs."