Former music teacher convicted of abusing two pupils in East Renfrewshire

A paedophile music teacher abused two schoolgirls during his time as principal of the department almost 40 years ago. Pervert William Wright, 78, preyed on the teenagers while they were pupils of an East Renfrewshire school.

One woman, now 54, described being “terrified” of him and not wanting to object to the abuse because she needed his help to get through her exams.

The grandad-of-eight claimed he had “no explanation” why the women would make such allegations.

But, a jury at the High Court in Glasgow convicted him of two charges of using lewd and libidinous practices and behaviour and a charge of indecent assault towards the two women between August 1974 and June 1981.

A police probe into married dad-of-three lead to the women, now 54 and 57-years-old, being tracked down.

The 54-year-old fought tears in court as she said she was “too afraid” to speak up at the time about what was happening to her.

She told advocate depute Sheena Fraser: “I was terrified of him, he was a man who had a temper and I just didn't put up any objection.

“I felt at the time, I was 13/14 years of age, at this stage decided I wanted to do music when I left school - I needed him.

“There was nobody to go to, it was only him, there was nobody else you could do your music lessons with.”

Wright often put his fingers into her shirt and underwear, while in a sound-proofed practise room.

He would brazenly carry out the abuse at times while she sat at the piano with him, sometimes when other pupils were sitting at the other side of it.

She said: “He would on occasion take my hand and put it in his pocket” and described how he would have her touch his private parts.

In her sixth year at school Wright took her from one of the music rooms into a cupboard and carried out sex attack on her.

She said: “He took me by the wrist, he took me in to the music cupboard, he locked us both in and then pushed me down on the floor.”

Wright attacked her, then told her “not to come out for a couple of minutes”.

He then gave the tearful schoolgirl a run home because she had missed the school bus.

Wright, who sometimes plays the organ at Elderslie Kirk, denied any wrongdoing.

He said was “quite gutted” at the suggestion he was a predator at the school.

In evidence he told the jury: “It just wasn’t me. Simple as that, it just wasn’t me.”

Lord Arthurson told him: "You have been convicted of serious sexual offending against two young girls with whom you had a role as their school teacher."

Wright had his bail continued pending sentencing on September 11 in Livingston.