West Mercia Police charge two 86-year-old men in boys’ school abuse probe

Two 86-year-old men have been charged in connection with an investigation into historical abuse at a school dating back to the 1960s.

West Mercia Police said both would appear in court later this month, in connection with a lengthy inquiry into allegations at St Gilbert’s School for boys in Hartlebury, Worcestershire.

The first man, from Cambridge, is facing 18 charges of assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting or abandoning a child to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.

He also faces two charges of assault, four of buggery on a boy under 16, and three allegations of buggery on a male under 21 without consent.

In addition, he is accused of indecently assaulting a boy under 16, and indecent assault on a male over 16.

The string of allegations relate to 18 males, and date to incidents said to have happened in the 1960s and 1970s.

A second man, from Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, faces a charge of assault, ill-treatment, neglect or abandonment of a child causing unnecessary suffering or injury and a further charge of assault, going back to the 1960s.

Both are due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on October 16.

A spokesman for the force said: “The two men were arrested as part of Operation Quail.

“This operation was launched in September 2014 investigating alleged abuse at St Gilbert’s School dating back to the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.”

St Gilbert’s, which was a school for boys, no longer exists and has been turned into housing.

_{Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2017, All Rights Reserved.}