Six men deny historical school assault allegations

Six men charged with alleged historical assaults on boys at a South Lakeland school have each denied the accusations.

The men, whose ages range from 57 to 76, appeared at Carlisle Crown Court today. They have been charged as part of a police investigation, dubbed Operation Tweed, into alleged historical assaults and cruelty at Underley Hall School in Kirkby Lonsdale, which closed in 2012.

During a 40-minute hearing the six men sat together in the dock. They all entered not guilty pleas to the respective charges that have been brought against them.

Errol Dudley Mayer, 72, of Kirkby Lonsdale, denied 18 charges of assault, occasioning actual bodily harm, and also 11 counts of alleged cruelty to a person aged under 16 years.

Derrick Cooper, 76, from the Isle of Man, pleaded not guilty to six actual bodily harm assault charges, and also two child cruelty allegations.

Four other men each denied one allegation of assault, occasioning actual bodily harm. They are James Farish, 57, of Kendal; David Hadwin, 70, of from Kirkby Lonsdale; John Studley, 65, of Silverdale, and Fred Trevor Taylor, 74, from West Yorkshire.

The court heard the 38 separate charges cover a period from 1976 to 1993. A total of 22 different male complainants are named on the charge sheet.

A trial, expected to last between eight and 10 weeks, is due to get under way at the crown court in early January, 2018.

In the meantime, each of the six men were granted unconditional bail by Judge Davies.