Teacher who abused five boys at private school jailed

William Bain admitted five charges committed over a six-year period

A former teacher has been jailed for six-and-a-half year for sexually abusing five boys at a private school.

William Bain, 62, abused the children at the Dunbartonshire school where he worked in the 1980s and 1990s.

He was caught when one victim contacted police after discovering Bain was teaching at the private boarding school Glenalmond College in Perthshire.

Bain was suspended and later retired before pleading guilty to five charges of abusing boys while he was a teacher.

'No contrition'

Jailing him at the High Court in Glasgow, judge Lady Scott told Bain his crimes were "persistent" sexual abuse and that he appeared to have no "contrition" for what he had done.

Bain, who latterly lived with his mother in Crieff, Perthshire, showed no emotion as he was led handcuffed to the cells.

The court heard that abuse happened between 1989 and 1995 while Bain was a teacher at a fee-paying school in Dunbartonshire.

He went on to have the highly-valued role of house master and the victims were all pupils at the school.

The attacks happened in either an empty classroom, a photography dark-room or at Bain's private flat at the school.

The first boy was aged 11 when the abuse started. The next victim was 12 when Bain began molesting him several times a week.

'Dangerous predator'

Bain repeatedly preyed on a third boy, who was also 11. The fourth pupil was the same age as he was abused a total of 50 times.

Bain left the school in 2000 and moved to Glenalmond College where management remained unaware of his previous abuse until 2015.

It later emerged that he had been "immediately suspended" when the accusations first arose and later left the school.

Bain was caught after his first victim discovered that he remained employed as a teacher.

A large scale investigation eventually resulted in the four other victims being traced.

Speaking after sentencing, Det Insp Grant MacLeod, of Police Scotland, said: "Bain is a dangerous predator and it is through the courage of his victims that he has been brought to account.

"We hope this sentence will bring some closure to them and allow them to move forward with their lives.