Former Edinburgh Teacher Faces 90 Additional Historic Sexual Abuse Charges in South Africa

Iain Wares, an 86-year-old former teacher at Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College, has been arrested in South Africa on 90 historical sexual abuse charges involving dozens of former pupils aged between 8 and 13. He faces accusations including four rapes, 60 sexual assaults, and 25 physical assaults, with allegations spanning his teaching tenure in Scotland during the 1960s and 1970s. Despite a South African High Court ruling in 2023 that he could be extradited to Scotland, the process has been delayed due to appeals, pandemic restrictions, and the submission of additional charges. Victims and their legal representatives have condemned the schools for failing to alert authorities earlier, allowing Wares to continue teaching and eventually relocate to South Africa, where he continued to teach until 2006. High-profile victims, including BBC presenter Nicky Campbell, have publicly called for his extradition to face justice in Scotland. Meanwhile, Wares is also on trial in Cape Town for separate alleged offences, and his extradition remains pending as local legal proceedings continue.