The Aporia · Teacher ‘completely lost it’ in school attack, Nicky Campbell tells court

Teacher ‘completely lost it’ in school attack, Nicky Campbell tells court

Read the original at Evening Standard ↗

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Vanreenen, D. (2026, October 8). Teacher ‘completely lost it’ in school attack, Nicky Campbell tells court. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/nicky-campbell-teacher-edinburgh-bbc-bbc-radio-5-live-b1300044.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Nicky Campbell testified at an examination of facts hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court about a violent attack by former teacher Colin Turner on him and another pupil around the 1970s. Campbell described being dragged, slapped, hit, and pushed to the floor in what he called “a complete frenzy.” The court also heard from Turner’s defense lawyer who questioned Campbell's account, suggesting that his co-pupil's lack of memory might indicate fabrication, though Campbell attributed this to dissociative amnesia due to trauma at the time.

Written by AI on 2026-10-08, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell testified at Edinburgh Sheriff Court about an attack by former teacher Colin Turner, who is accused of assaulting pupils in the 1970s. Campbell, now 65, was around 15 when he said Turner violently attacked him in the school courtyard, dragging and beating him. Turner, aged 92, along with another former teacher, David Bourne, have been deemed medically unfit to stand trial. A sheriff is hearing evidence to determine if there are grounds for conviction, despite the accused not being present at court due to their medical condition. Campbell's mother, a trained social worker, did not report the incident as it would have been highly disruptive in that era.

Written for “Nicky Campbell Court Case” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

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sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

14%

2 of 14 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

64/100

Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Crime & Law

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Danyel Vanreenen

40 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 The power company hoped that most of those homes would be reconnected by the end of the day, but said a small number may remain off supply overnight. SP Energy Networks (SPEN) said all customers affected by Storm Boelo on its network were restored by Monday.

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Hundreds of homes across Scotland still without power after Storm Boelo damage

🔮 A man, 60, was killed on Sunday by a falling tree in Dumfries and Galloway, while another two women were injured by another falling tree in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross. Police Scotland said everyone at the care home was accounted for and that local road closures were in place. Officers were expected to remain on site overnight to assist.

2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Workers continue to restore power to homes hit by Storm Boelo

🔮 “There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal in due course.

2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Man dies after being hit by falling tree during Storm Boelo

🔮 “There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal in due course.

2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Man dies after being hit by falling tree during Storm Boelo

🔮 Social Justice and Housing Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “As we experience a third consecutive day of weather warnings with continued strong winds forecast until later today, it is important that people keep up to date on the impact the conditions are having in their local area.

2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Storm Boelo brings 80mph gusts and travel disruption to Scotland

🔮 SPEN warned more outages could occur as the storm continues and said that teams are on stand-by.

2026-10-25 · assertive framing · At least 6,000 homes across central and southern Scotland without power

🔮 Read More Services south and west of Kilwinning in North Ayrshire stopped from 9pm on Saturday while further north the Oban and Mallaig lines closed from about 10pm. On Sunday, the line between Kyle of Lochalsh and Achnashellach in the Highlands will be closed from the start of service, as well as the railway between Wick and Helmsdale. ScotRail said speed restrictions are also expected across much of the network from late Saturday night and throughout Sunday, with the potential for restrictions to remain in place on the Far North Line between Inverness and Wick into Monday morning.

2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Storm Boelo brings 80mph gusts and travel disruption to Scotland

🔮 Services south and west of Kilwinning in North Ayrshire stopped from 9pm on Saturday while further north the Oban and Mallaig lines closed from about 10pm. On Sunday, the line between Kyle of Lochalsh and Achnashellach in the Highlands will be closed from the start of service, as well as the railway between Wick and Helmsdale. ScotRail said speed restrictions are also expected across much of the network from late Saturday night and throughout Sunday, with the potential for restrictions to remain in place on the Far North Line between Inverness and Wick into Monday morning.

2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Storm Boelo brings 80mph gusts and travel disruption to Scotland

🔮 “The strongest winds will initially affect western Scotland and the far north of Northern Ireland on Saturday evening and then spread eastwards overnight and through Sunday.”

2026-10-24 · assertive framing · Weather warnings for Scotland as Storm Boelo moves in

Also by Danyel Vanreenen

Hundreds of homes across Scotland still without power after Storm Boelo damage

2026-10-28 · Evening Standard

Hundreds of homes across Scotland still without power after Storm Boelo damage

2026-10-28 · Evening Standard

Workers continue to restore power to homes hit by Storm Boelo

2026-10-26 · Evening Standard

Man dies after being hit by falling tree during Storm Boelo

2026-10-25 · Evening Standard

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 40 articles by Danyel Vanreenen →

Narrative

Claims (14 extracted, 2 hedged)

Mr Campbell gave evidence during an examination of facts hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Wednesday and Thursday. asserted

Campbell → give → Wednesday

Colin Turner, 92, and David Bourne, 72, both former teachers at the school, are accused of attacking pupils around the 1970s but they have been deemed medically unfit to stand trial. asserted

they → accuse → trial

A sheriff is instead hearing evidence in the case and will determine whether there are grounds for conviction. asserted

sheriff → hear → conviction

Read More He told the court: “It was a complete frenzy. asserted

It → read → court

The court heard Turner allegedly came up behind Mr Campbell while he was looking at a notice board with another pupil. uncertain

he → hear → pupil

Mr Campbell said he has a “vivid memory” of Turner slapping, hitting, dragging and “shaking him about”, before the teacher allegedly pushed him to the floor with his foot. uncertain

teacher → say → foot

He added that he was “rag-dolled” by the teacher. “It was more than 10 seconds of terror,” he said. asserted

he → add → terror

The broadcaster described the incident as “traumatic” and as “one of the worst things that ever happened to me”. asserted

that → describe → me

Mr Campbell said: “I was a skinny wee thing and he was a big man. “ asserted

he → say → ?

The most vivid part is the yanking, the pulling, the feeling of the hits, the feeling of the slaps, him pushing me on the ground with his foot and thinking ‘oh f***, what have I done?'” asserted

I → push → what

Under questioning from Turner’s defence lawyer Iain Smith, Mr Campbell said the pupil standing beside him at the time does not remember the incident. asserted

pupil → say → incident

Mr Campbell said the pupil had been “crying at the time”, but blamed “dissociative amnesia” for his lack of memory now. “I’m not making it up, it was one of the most terrifying things that ever happened to me,” Mr Campbell said. asserted

Campbell → say → me

When asked why he and his mother did not go to police when it happened, Mr Campbell claimed reporting the incident in the 1970s would have been the “nuclear” option. asserted

reporting → ask → 1970s

The case continues. asserted

case → continue → ?

Teacher ‘completely lost it’ in school attack, Nicky Campbell tells court

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Claims (14 extracted, 2 hedged)