Express & Star

'We missed chance for justice': Alleged Tettenhall College child sex abuse victims

Alleged victims of child sex abuse at a top private boys' school in Wolverhampton are searching for answers as to why the court case against the accused head teacher never went ahead.

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Andrew Wood, originally from Wombourne, and Mark Shelton, from Shifnal, allege former Tettenhall College headmaster Colin Cope sexually abused them as pupils in the 1970s.

Cope died aged 84 in March last year in Dorset while he was under fresh investigation by police.

Secretly-recorded video footage had emerged showing the ex-teacher driving his car, carrying a table and climbing steep stairs while giving paying visitors a guided tour of his 18th-century National Trust home.

This was just eight months after the court case against him, which was being held at Shrewsbury Crown Court in 2009, was halted by Judge Robin Onions because he deemed that the defendant was 'too ill' to continue with the proceedings.

Cope was charged with 11 offences on five boys and denied the offences.

  • MORE: Tettenhall College child abuse probe must go on despite suspect's death

  • MORE: There is no rest without answers, says ex-head teacher's alleged victims

  • MORE: Ex-Wolverhampton headteacher accused of sexually abusing pupils dies, aged 84

  • MORE: Theresa May rules out public inquiry into child abuse allegations at Wolverhampton school

Colin Cope, who died aged 84 while he was under fresh investigation by police

Now Mr Wood and Mr Shelton, who were among five ex-Tettenhall College pupils paid a total of £129,000 in a civil claim by the boarding school in an out-of-court settlement in 2012, have started to ask questions of the way the case was handled by the authorities.

Mr Shelton, aged 58, said: "We believe the case should have gone ahead and there are questions that need to be answered by those who dealt with our case."

Mr Wood, 57, added: "We missed our opportunity for justice to be done. But we now must address what we feel to be serious failings in this case if we are to ever get any closure for what happened."

The alleged victims gave statements to police claiming the sexual abuse took place in Cope's private rooms at the school, as well as on camping trips, in a boy's bedroom and in his car.

Cope taught at the independent school between 1959 and 1973 where he became headmaster of the lower school.

He was first arrested in 2006 and police interview transcripts seen by the Express & Star state that he told officers: "I just know that I have done things I shouldn't have done in the past."

In another interview he describes to police how he moved to Wentworth Milton Mount girls' school in Bournemouth as 'jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.'

When the 2009 court case collapsed, Cope was said to be taking 12 medications for numerous illnesses. But just months later the secret video footage appeared.

Following Cope's death, the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) closed the case.

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