Two men convicted for historical abuse of pupils at Ayrshire school
Matthew George and John Muldoon preyed on pupils at Kerelaw residential school between 1975 and 2000
Two men who preyed on pupils at a school for troubled children in Ayrshire are back behind bars, after being found guilty of a catalogue of offences spanning decades.
On Friday at the High Court in Glasgow Matthew George, 73, and John Muldoon, 69, were found guilty of the serious sexual and physical abuse of a number of young residents of Kerelaw Residential School in Stevenston between 1975 and 2000.
George, of Largs, was convicted of a total of 39 charges involving 21 boys and girls.
Muldoon, of Irvine, was found guilty of 16 of the charges he faced. These listed nine children including the rape of two girls.
Both men have already spent time in prison for offences committed at the school, following a major investigation between 2004 and 2006 into the sexual and physical abuse of residents.
They were warned by the judge that they will face “significant” sentences when the return to court for sentencing in the new year.
Commenting on the conviction Senior Investigating Officer, DI Ross Black, Police Scotland, said:
“Police Scotland would like to thank everyone who came forward to police during this investigation. Their engagement, bravery and commitment helped secure the verdict today.
“We hope that people can now be confident in coming forward to police knowing that no matter the passage of time, justice like today’s verdict has underpinned what can be achieved.
“Police Scotland is committed to identifying and bringing to justice those responsible for these crimes.
“We are, and will continue, to investigate all aspects of child abuse in these former residential care establishments and I would urge anyone who may have experienced abuse at the school but not yet come forward to police to do so.”
Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.