I have written a number of times about Geoffrey Eve, a sadistic bastard who is still alive but who in the 1970s and 1980s physically, not sexually, abused a number of boys at Warwick School. I was one of them. Twice Eve worked himself up into such a furious rage that he threw my head against a wall. Earlier this year I went to the Police.
At the time I did not complain. I did not dare tell my father what had happened. He was a school governor and I was a ten year old boy. If a teacher threw your head against a wall you must somehow have deserved it. That is the way of abuse of kids whether it be physical or sexual you just think that somehow it is your fault. So you do not complain to your parents. Nor do you go to other teachers since they all knew anyway and were clearly doing nothing about it. At the time you think that is because they condoned such acts.
Looking back now I am convinced that the wonderful female teachers of the day (Mrs Fawcett, Mrs Hobday and even Mrs Birt who was a bit scary herself) were as frightened of Eve as were the boys.
Earlier this year I went to the Police and started writing about what had happened to me. More victims of Eve have come forward. The Police have their hands tied in that Warwick School has lost most of its school records from the Eve era. Folks like my dad who were Governors are now in the 80s or 90s and memories are fading. Dad says he remembers Eve being discussed but cannot remember exactly why.
As it happen when Eve was first caught beating up little boys he was given a leave of absence on full pay. Sadly for me he made a return just in time to be my form master in the final year of my Warwick Junior school career so he could beat me up too. And he carried on beating up little boys for another few years until one day he damaged a boy's hearing so badly that he needed medical treatment and his father complained. Warwick being in the cover up business back in the day they gave Eve early retirement on a full pension and - until I complained this year - allowed him to come to all old boy reunions to chat happily to his victims of years ago and to come to plays and concerts at the school. I am glad to say Eve is now banned from touching foot on the school.
The Old Bill contacted me this week and, having chatted to the CPS, they are sorry to say that they cannot prosecute since without medical evidence of damage the level of assault is one which comes with a statute of limitations of just six months. So beat a boy up badly enough to make him cry buckets on the day and cry at night knowing he is likely to be too shamed to tell his parents and after six months you are off the hook.
So is Eve in the clear? As things stand he is. But.... There was that boy who suffered serious hearing damage. Perhaps there is an OW out there who can remember who it was and who is still in touch and can urge him to come forward?
Perhaps Warwick School might wish to make amends for its disgraceful behaviour of 40 years ago. A former teacher and a good man, Dr "Scot" Wilson bravely mentioned such events en passant in the last Old Warwickian newsletter. The school should in its next issue of the OW shelve yet another feature on sporting triumphs of today or the past and run a full article on Eve to say sorry but also to try and see if there are other victims who can come forward. And if one of them was damaged badly enough we might all still see justice.
The only other potential course of action is for me to bring a civil case against Geoffrey Eve and also, for its numerous failures on this matter, against Warwick School. There are now enough victims of Eve ready to testify and I am convinced that more could be found. In allowing Eve to come back after his first round of brutality and then in the way they finally parted company Warwick was without doubt negligent.
I stress that I do not need money from the sadistic bastard Eve nor from Warwick School. Nor do I really want their filthy money. What I want is Eve to stand in a dock, to see justice done and for all his victims to see Warwick say sorry and for Eve to face not only full exposure but some sanction as well.
If there other victims please do not hesitate to contact me on a confidential basis on [email protected]