Nicky Campbell 'in mourning' for lives he and his friends should have had after inquiry laid bare decades of abuse

Published: 14:07 EST, 10 November 2026 | Updated: 14:13 EST, 10 November 2026 Broadcaster Nicky Campbell said he felt sorry for the families of the serial abusers who preyed on children at Edinburgh Academy after a landmark inquiry laid bare decades of abuse.Mr Campbell, who attended the school from 1966 to 1978 and was himself abused by former teachers Hamish Dawson and John Brownlee, said the report also left him mourning the lives that victims should have been able to lead.Reacting to the findings of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, he said: ‘I think we have got to feel sorry for the children of these men, for their wives.‘It’s not their fault and it must be terrible to read about what they did to children in their care.’He said it was ‘totally shocking seeing it all set out and I find I am mourning the lives that we could have had and should have had’, adding: ‘I am thinking especially of those whose lives were changed in every way for the worst.’Speaking to the Mail, Mr Campbell, 65, added: ‘I’m just so sad. So sad it happened and was allowed to happen. ‘There is still so much pain.‘My heart goes out to everyone hurt by the school, at the school. We need to heal.’The broadcaster previously revealed he experienced a ‘couple of breakdowns’ as a result of abuse he suffered and witnessed. Nicky Campbell attended the school from 1966 to 1978 A landmark inquiry laid bare decades of abuse at Edinburgh Academy Iain Wares faces scores of historic abuse chargesIn 2023, he told the BBC’s Panorama: ‘I’ve had some really difficult times. I’ve had a couple of breakdowns.‘I have a problem with being touched – unless I have total trust. That has been difficult.’He said ‘evil’ teacher Iain Wares, who faces scores of historic abuse charges relating to victims as young as nine, was a ‘sad, dark manifestation of the human condition’.Mr Campbell saw abuse by ‘predatory’ Wares at Edinburgh Academy – and described him as a ‘slow-acting poison that is still in the veins’. Another former pupil, Neil Douglas, 64, who attended the academy between 1967 and 1979, said Lady Smith had ‘perfectly captured the school’s focus on its reputation to the exclusion of everything else’.The Mail understands more prosecutions are pending against alleged abusers at Edinburgh Academy.Kim Leslie, head of personal injury at law firm Irwin Mitchell Scotland, is currently representing a number of survivors who attended the school.She said: ‘It is never too late to come forward.’Laura Connor, a partner with Thompsons Solicitors, also represents many survivors of abuse at the school.She said: ‘In her report, Lady Smith makes clear this was a school where physical and sexual abuse of children was a part of everyday life.‘Combined with bullying, racism and homophobia, a very clear picture emerges of a completely dysfunctional institution where cruelty and sadism were tolerated and excused.‘The brave individuals who spoke with the inquiry, many of whom are our clients, have been admirable in coming forward and giving evidence on what they endured.‘The conduct of those who ran the school was appalling and continues to astonish those who learn of it.’Ms Connor added: ‘We also wait to see those remaining academy perpetrators who have yet to be brought to justice see the inside of a Scottish courtroom.’