Reporter who broke Celtic Boys Club sex abuse scandal story on decades-long fight for justice

dailyrecord.co.uk:

For decades, the survivors of Celtic Boys Club abuse scandal have been just that – survivors.Their lives were blighted by shame, by fear, and in many cases, by failure, because of what happened to them at the hands of serial paedophiles Frank Cairney and Jim Torbett.

Many of them were no more than 12 or 13 years old when they played for Celtic Boys Club – innocent, vulnerable children.Kids who dreamed of one day pulling on the Celtic jersey to play for their heroes at their hallowed ground in Parkhead.

But from the moment they were abused by Torbett and Cairney they’ve had to live with the torment.As teenage boys they were too ashamed to confide in anyone – too afraid to tell their parents what had happened, too worried that by speaking out they would be banished by the club and their dreams left in tatters.

So they kept silent. For decades.They grew into troubled men. Some turned to alcohol to blot out the demons, others got on with their lives, trying their best to get away from the dark places where their memories took them.