Attorneys assert that the Mold Paedophile, Ian Farquharson, who passed away in 1992, served as an educator at the residential facility in Loggerheads, near Mould, which Liverpool City Council then administered.
Ian Farquharson instructed at Formby High School from 1975 to May 1992. In 1980, he was exonerated of instigating young boys to engage in acts of gross indecency. He asserted that the boys had “attempted to implicate him” following his previous need to “discipline” them and, upon his acquittal, expressed relief that his “ordeal” had concluded.
Ian Farquharson continued to teach at Formby High School for another twelve years and became the head of the lower school. But in 1992, he was subject to a new complaint from the mum of a child about alleged sexual abuse.
According to subsequent inquest reports, Ian Farquharson was “summoned to the head teacher’s office” to discuss the allegation. Immediately after, he briefly returned to his home address before driving to an isolated spot near Mold, in North Wales, where he took his own life.
In 2021, six people came forward after seeing a video on Facebook. By 2022, 41 ex-Formby High School had come forward claiming Ian Farquharson abused them, and this has subsequently increased to 66.
These 66 people are bringing a civil case against Sefton Council after claims they suffered years of child abuse at the hands of Ian Farquharson during his time as a teacher at the school. The local authority said it cannot comment on the case while proceedings are ongoing.
Andrew Grove and Company Solicitors are acting on behalf of the man who claims Ian Farquharson sexually assaulted him at Colomendy. The law firm is also representing the former Formby High School pupils who claim they were abused in the 1970s and early 1990s.
Solicitor Katherine Yates said the man, who claims to have been sexually abused during the mid-1960s, contacted the firm after the ECHO published a photograph of Ian Farquharson in July. Colomendy was initially built as a wartime evacuation facility before being transferred to Liverpool City Council in 1957. It was then turned into a boarding school and outdoor residential centre.
Before this allegation, Ian Farquharson’s tenure at Colomendy’s school was unknown. But Ms Yates and her team said they had discovered a document which indicates he worked there before joining Formby High School. A marriage certificate for Ian Farquharson dated August 16, 1969, shows he was married within the Liverpool South registration area aged 28, his address is ‘Colomendy School, Loggerheads, Mold’, and his profession is ‘school teacher’.
Ms Yates said: “We have evidence that Ian Farquharson lived at the school because we have a copy of his marriage certificate which states he was a teacher there and gives Colomendy Activity Centre as his residential address (then Colomendy School).
“Our client has carried the burden of what happened to him for many years, and we believe there may be many more people carrying the same weight on their shoulders.”
Anyone with any information can speak to solicitors Katherine Yates or Charlotte Denley by calling 01223 367133 or emailing katherine@andrewgroveandco.com or charlotte@andrewgroveandco.com
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.