Teacher accused by Nicky Campbell of sexually abusing boys appears in court
A former teacher publicly accused by BBC broadcaster Nicky Campbell of sexually abusing dozens of Scottish schoolboys appeared before a South African court today.
Iain Wares, 83, - who is fighting extradition to the UK where he has been dubbed “Jimmy Savile II” – is charged with two indecent assaults against a Cape Town ex-pupil.
Wynberg Magistrates Court had previously been told the retired maths and rugby master allegedly molested the schoolboy twice in 1988 after he had "fled" from Scotland.
A Scottish Child Abuse inquiry has already heard that dozens of boys from exclusive schools the Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College claimed he abused them.
South African Police arrested him at his seaside retirement village in 2019 after a request by Interpol and in 2020 South African judges agreed to extradition.
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Iain Wares appeared in court
The former teacher has been dubbed 'Jimmy Savile II' by accusers (Jamie Pyatt News Ltd)But Wares – who faces 7 charges of assaulting schoolboys back in the UK dating back to the 1960’s and 70’s – then launched an appeal which is still ongoing.
At an April court hearing Wares appeared unstable and used a stick but today he appeared sprightly and ignored the lift to take two flights of stairs down to leave instead.
Wearing a dark blue blazer and smart trousers he appeared before magistrate Mr Goolam Bawa who told him that the case would be formally adjourned until July 6.
Wares was arrested in 2019 (Jamie Pyatt News Ltd)Prosecutor Mr Caleb Williams said the investigation was complete and that at the next hearing a date would be set for a regional trail and Wares’s would make a plea.
Meanwhile he remains out on bail for the alleged two Cape Town assaults but with regard to his extradition he will not appear before the High Court again until October.
TV and radio broadcaster Mr Campbell OBE first exposed Wares who had to be known by the pseudonym of “Edgar” until an identity ban on him was finally lifted.
Cape magistrates had previously heard with regard to the extradition case that dad-of-one Wares admitted moving from his native South Africa to Edinburgh in 1967.
He claimed he was seeking treatment after experiencing “urges” to touch young boys.
Wares said he spent three months undergoing psychiatric evaluation and then became a teacher in Edinburgh then began a pattern of abuse against pupils.
By this time he was married and when complaints were made by scholars at both schools he left Scotland in 1979 to move back to Cape Town to continue teaching.
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The Western Cape education department say they had no reports of wrongdoing during the three decades he taught there until he retired when aged in his mid 60’s,
But following his public naming in South Africa on a TV documentary a former pupil from Rondebosch Boys Prep School came forward to make sexual allegations.
Wares is facing in the UK so far six charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour and one of indecent assault against schoolboys between 1969 and 1976.
Fettes College and Edinburgh Academy have both issued full apologies and stated their “deep regret” for what happened and urged all victims to contact the police.
The indecent assaults against the South African school boy are at Wynberg Magistrates Court and all extradition hearings will be heard at the Cape Town High Court.
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