Rydal Penrhos Abuse

1. 4 JUNE 21, 2012 JUNE 21, 2012 5
CLAIMSofrepeatedsexualabuseat
a Colwyn Bay boarding school dur-
ing the 1970s have led to an internal
investigation by the current
headteacher.
Several former pupils of Rydal School
on Pwllycrochan Avenue have contacted
the Weekly News claiming they were
either victims or witnesses of sexual,
physical and mental abuse between 1970
and 1980.
Current headmaster Patrick
Lee-Browne has stressed that none of the
members of staff allegedly involved are
now at the school, and that an invest-
igation is being carried out.
Four former pupils claim that one
member of staff was so brazen
with his behaviour that he would
openly man-handle and fondle boys in
full view of classes.
Another man, Alexander Curzon, says
he was abused by several different mem-
bers of staff.
Despite the matter being reported to
North Wales Police, the complainants
say that all the members of staff involved
in the abuse are now deceased, and they
do not wish to proceed with a criminal
case to be played out in the courts.
Father-of-three Alexander Curzon, 50,
of Weybridge, who runs a manufactur-
ing business, boarded at Rydal between
1970-80 and says he wants to expose what
went on in the hope others will come
forward and find closure.
“It was hell. My school days were a
living nightmare for 10 years of my life.
“Sexual abuse and mental degradation
was meted out by vindictive staff. It was
abhorrent. It was the worst type of sexu-
al abuse,” he said.
“I want other people to come forward
now. There are significant others who
are victims who are not prepared to fully
addressitandIwantthemtofindclosure
too.
“But 32 years later I feel I want to
expose what happened. I feel nothing but
contempt for the people who abused me.
I don’t regard them as people, just a poor
excuse for humanity.”
Alexander,whowasknownatschoolas
Sandy, says the members of staff who
abused him all those decades ago are
now dead and says he does not want a
formal police investigation.
“I reported it to police in February
after complaining to the school. That’s
what the school wanted me to do. But the
ones that abused me are dead. There is
no path of justice to pursue,” he said.
“My view is that police time is valuable
and an investigation is only worthwhile
if there is a satisfactory conclusion.
“We can’t dig them up and put them in
court and I didn’t have the emotional
resources for this until the last three
By RICHARD EVANS
Tel. 01492 574481
does not, however, make them less ser-
ious. We have invited Mr Curzon to
formalise his complaint by initiating a
police investigation, and we have
provided the police with all the relevant
information and are giving them every
assistance we can.
“As yet, no formal police investigation
nor any civil proceedings have been
initiated, but the school is carrying out
its own investigation into the allegations
and while that process is underway, it
would not be appropriate for me to say
anything further.”
School investigates
claims of sexual
abuse made by
former pupils
RYDAL Mount School was founded by
Thomas Osborn in 1885. The school, a
boys’ boarding school in the Meth-
odist tradition, was named after the
house on Lansdowne Road which Os-
born had acquired from Rev Fred-
erick Payne, a wealthy benefactor and
Wesleyan minister who lived in Col-
wyn Bay.
Five years earlier, in 1880, Penrhos
College had been founded as a Meth-
odist girls’ boarding school, also a
result of the generosity of Rev Payne.
The building presently occupied by
Rydal Penrhos Preparatory School
was first occupied by Rydal Prep
School in 1953. The oldest part of the
building was originally the property
of Lady Erskine, owner of the Pwl-
lycrochan estate in Colwyn Bay.
Rydal Prep School merged with Pen-
rhos Junior School in 1995 to become
Rydal Penrhos Preparatory School.
In 2003, Rydal Penrhos Prep School
underwent a further merger with an-
otherwell-establishedjuniorschoolin
Colwyn Bay, Lyndon School. Lyndon
moved to the Rydal Penrhos Prep
School site and initially preserved its
name.
However, in 2010, the school was
renamed Rydal Penrhos Prep School,
and the school’s library is now known
as the Lyndon Library. The Prep
School offers co-education from age
2½ to 11.
Like the Senior School, the Prep
School has a Christian ethos with
chapel and prayers daily.
● Source: rydalpenrhos.com
years. The police were prepared to do it
until I put the brakes on.”
Jonathan Andrews, 50, is a medical
professional who lives in Harrogate and
attended the school between 1975-80. He
claims he was abused daily.
“I was abused over three times a
day for three years. My abuse
was happening through les-
sons right up until my
O-levels,” he said.
“I was one of the young
pretty boys targeted in front
of the whole class. I used to
shiver with fear – whenever the
boy two desks behind me
was targeted, I knew I
was next.
“‘X’ would put his
left elbow under
your chin and lift
you up from your
desk with his arm.
He would then unbutton your shirt in
front of the whole class and put his right
hand down your shirt and underpants.
You couldn’t move as you were rigid with
fear. I tried to stop him by trying to scar
him with a ballpoint pen in his arm but it
didn’t make any difference.”
Jonathan added: “I bumped into him
in the post office a few years ago. I
looked at him face to face and
shuddered. I should have punched
him in the face – he still had power
over me.
“He was a shrivelled old man and I
was 47 – in my prime – but all I
could say was ‘hello sir’.
This is the power these
people have over you.
It never goes away.”
Another former pu-
pil, who now lives
overseas, joined the
school in 1978 aged 16.
He claims to have walked in on a member
of staff abusing a “small blond boy”.
“I was shocked and horrified by what I
saw, as there was clearly some form of
sexual activity going on between the boy
and ‘X’,” he said.
“I tried to keep my distance from ‘X’ as
much as possible, but inevitably I would
have to interact with him. He was in a
position of authority and abused this
authority to feed his own desires, in a
way that was perverse and humiliating.
“I must stress I was never personally
sexually abused, although I was aware it
was occurring with other pupils.”
Another former pupil, Alan Davies, 49,
is now a London police officer, and ad-
ded: “I was witness to many occasions
when ‘X’ would emerge from his private
rooms and fondle one of my dorm mates,
while we sat attempting to do our prep in
our pyjamas and dressing gown.
“He would grab whoever it was by the
shoulders as we sat on the laundry
baskets and pull that person backwards
until the boy’s head was resting in his
crotch,allthewhilegrinningasifitwere
just a bit of harmless fun.
“We were, as young boys, powerless to
stop his predatory behaviour as he
loosened upper clothing and placed his
hand inside to ‘play’ with the victim.”
Another former pupil, now a
50-year-old father living in Maidstone,
added: “I saw ‘X’ man-handle younger
weaker boys on a daily basis.
“The behaviour consisted of undoing
topclothingandplacinghishandsinside
the back and front of boys’ shirts and
then sliding his hands down inside
trousers to fondle their nether regions.
“This behaviour was never welcomed
by the victims, who would squirm in
embarrassment as this sordid behaviour
took place in full view of others but who
were too scared or feeble to prevent it.”
North Wales Police confirmed that a
complaint had been made but said that
they were waiting for an official state-
ment from a victim to proceed.
Rydal Penrhos headteacher Patrick Lee
Brown commented: “Mr Curzon has
made allegations about abuse while he
was at Rydal School in the 1970s.
“There has been no suggestion that the
allegations relate to any pupils or staff
currently at the school, or that there are
any concerns for the wellbeing and pro-
tection of current pupils.
“The fact these are historic allegations
PHOTO: Alexander Curzon pictured in the summer of 1975 (bottom row, third from left).
ALLEGATIONS:
Alexander Curzon
outside Rydal
Penrhos in
Colwyn Bay.
ABUSED: Jonathan Andrews, 50, is
now a medical professional who lives
in Harrogate and attended Rydal
between 1975-80. Jonathan claims
he was abused daily.
Rydal history
It was hell. My school days were a
living nightmare for 10 years of my
life. Sexual abuse and mental
degradation meted out by vindictive
staff. It was abhorrent. It was the
worst type of sexual abuse.
‘
’
Have you been
affected by this story?
Contact Richard Evans
on 01492 574481 or
email richard.evans@
northwales
news.co.uk
MY LIVING NIGHTMARE
HEADMASTER:
Patrick
Lee-Browne.
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