HMA V Matthew George & John Muldoon - sentencing statement

Today at the High Court in Edinburgh Lady Paton sentenced Matthew George and John Muldoon in relation to a number of offences committed against children in Kerelaw Residential School.

On sentencing Lady Paton made the following statement:

“Matthew George, I have taken into account everything that has been said and written on your behalf. As a teacher at Kerelaw Residential School, you were entrusted with the care of particularly troubled and vulnerable children. You have been convicted of a horrifying catalogue of offences against a number of those children, in gross breach of trust. You had power and authority over those children and you abused that power. Your victims suffered fear, misery, pain and humiliation. Some of them have never recovered and their lives have been made all the more difficult as a result. The sentence of imprisonment which I am about to impose must reflect all of this. The sentence will a cumulo one and will be back dated to the 20th April 2006. The sentence is one of 10 years imprisonment.

John Muldoon, I have taken into account everything hat has been said and written on your behalf. As a care officer and unit manager at the school, you too were in breach of trust. You too abused your power and authority. Your behaviour towards those young female pupils in your care was wholly unacceptable. However, your offending was on a lesser scale than your co-accused. The sentences of imprisonment which I am about to impose, one will be backdated to the 20th April 2006 and one will be follow consecutively. On charge 39, 46 and 52 the sentence imposed is a cumulo one and is the statutory maximum available, that is 2 years imprisonment. On charge 54 the sentence is 6 months to run consecutively to the two years”.