Celtic Boys Club abuse court case ends with more than £1m paid out

Key Points

More than £1m has been agreed in settlements for sexual abuse victims
24 cases out of 28 have settled as litigation ends in court
Thompsons Solicitors say three cases remain outstanding with discussions ongoing
Abuse carried out by convicted paedophiles James Torbett and Frank Cairney at the youth club
Celtic’s lawyer told court in June his client ‘wanted to bring cases to an end’
Nine other cases are ongoing against Celtic PLC relating to historic child abuse

A class-action lawsuit against Celtic by victims of historic sexual abuse has ended in court, with all but three claims settled.

Thompsons Solicitors confirmed that the litigation had come to an end, with settlement terms agreed for a combined seven-figure sum.

Of the 28 members of the group, 24 cases have now settled, while discussions continue in three of the remaining cases, and those actions will continue separately.

Thompsons says offers have been made in all of those cases, but they are not yet able to conclude them.

One case remains “without instruction,” so it cannot continue. The terms of the settlements weren’t disclosed in court.

Celtic’s lawyer Ewen Campbell told the court in June that his client wanted to bring the remaining cases to an end.

He said it wouldn’t be in his client’s “interests” to allow the matters to continue or be heard in new actions separate from the group proceedings.

This prompted Lord Arthurson to fix the final hearing in the action for this month.

On Thursday, the case, which was the first personal injury action in Scotland to be litigated and settled using the Group Proceedings rules – commonly known as class action – in the Court of Session, ended.

Laura Connor, partner at Thompsons, said: “This has been a landmark case — not only in terms of its legal significance but in the real, meaningful progress it represents for survivors of historical abuse at Celtic Boys Club and beyond.

“It has reshaped the legal landscape in Scotland, showing that justice can be pursued collectively without diminishing the voice or rights of the individual.

“We are incredibly proud to have been instructed by our clients, whose resilience throughout this unnecessarily lengthy process has been remarkable.

“Their strength, and that of all our clients, inspires us to continue the difficult fights for justice, finding novel ways to do so.”

Nine other cases are ongoing against Celtic PLC relating to historic child abuse. Those cases relate to abuse perpetrated by James Torbett, Frank Cairney and Jim McCafferty.

Lawyers say those cases are at differing stages, but are expected to also reach settlements.

The case brought by former Celtic Boys Club players

Lord Arthurson gave permission in 2022 for a number of former Celtic Boys Club players to sue the football club.

He had heard the action should proceed because the two entities were “intimately connected” to each other – a claim denied by Celtic FC’s legal team at the time who said the two organisations were separate from each other.

The sex abuse survivors brought “group proceedings” against Celtic FC PLC – the procedure is similar to US class action style litigations.

The abuse was carried out by convicted paedophiles James Torbett and Frank Cairney at the youth club, which was not officially linked to Celtic FC.

During proceedings for this action, Ian Mackay KC told Lord Arthurson that lawyers for the men have uncovered evidence which shows apparent close links between Celtic Boys Club and Celtic FC.

He said the evidence showed that the two entities were “intimately connected” and that his clients should be allowed to sue Celtic.

Mr Mackay said: “Celtic Boys Club was intimately connected to Celtic Football Club – it was branded as being closely connected to Celtic Football Club.

“Players played in Celtic strips and wore blazers which were virtually identical to those worn by Celtic FC players.

“Football kit, holdalls and training gear were provided by Celtic Football Club.

“The pursuers’ understanding was that they were playing for the boys club of Celtic Football Club.

“Celtic Boys Club trained at Barrowfield, the training ground of Celtic Football Club and Celtic Park as well as elsewhere.

“Celtic Football Club exercised control over who played for Celtic Boys Club because scouts recruited players who they considered were good enough to play for Celtic Football Club and diverted them to Celtic Football Club.

“The Boys Club was a nursery for senior team players. Celtic Boys Club was in effect what could be now known as the academy of Celtic Football Club.

“Articles about Celtic Boys Club appeared regularly in the Celtic View, the club’s newspaper – and the club was referred to as being part of the Celtic family.

“Celtic is vicariously liable for assaults.”

Celtic said it was “very sorry that these events took place at Celtic Boys Club” and that it took the abuse “extremely seriously because of the historic contacts between the two organisations”.

Mr Campbell said in June that all the cases that could be settled had been brought to an end.

He added: “These are four cases which each have individual issues associated with them which prevent them from progressing.

“These are four individual cases which are going to turn on individual facts – which if they have been brought to court initially – I think would never have justified in themselves group proceedings – it would have been more efficient to proceed with them individually

“If the solicitors instructing them can obtain instructions from these four individuals then the defenders are open to discussing the cases.

“It’s not going to be the case where group proceedings come to an end and we shut the door and force anybody to raise new proceedings – that’s not in anybody’s interests, that’s not in the defender’s interests.”