Venue: Wynberg Magistrates Court, Cape Town
Time: 8.30
ARREST today in CAPE TOWN of 83-year-old Wares on SA charges will be brought to the Claremont Police Station by his lawyer Ben Mathewson at 7.30 am. He will then be taken to the Wynberg Magistrate Court where he will be added to the Court Roll for his first appearance. Again, probably walking free until the case comes to trial, which may take years like the extradition has thus far.
Wares is wanted in the UK for abusing dozens of boys, and is currently fighting extradition in a high-profile case to face charges in Scotland. WMACA remains deeply concerned that he was arrested in 2019 and was allowed to await the extradition outcome at home in South Africa, rather than in prison, which is not the norm. A South African man, *Stephen, has come forward as the first complainant against South African school teacher Iain Wares.
Wares, a former maths teacher and rugby coach, has been named in the House of Commons in the UK last week. It was argued that Mr Wares should not be afforded the protection of his pseudonym on the press, which was “Edgar”. This is in the public interest. While his extradition from South Africa to the UK is still pending, he walks free.
In documents related to extradition proceedings seen by the BBC, Iain Wares said that while teaching at Edinburgh Academy he had “urges to touch the students inappropriately and on occasion I did so”. He has admitted to abusing boys in this statement and yet is not in jail, neither in South Africa nor the UK.
The court documents state that the teacher decided to travel to the UK in 1967 for psychiatric treatment for his “problem”. He spent three months at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital before being discharged and obtaining a diploma in education at Moray House College the following year.
In 1979, when a pupil complained about him, he said he admitted the behaviour and agreed to leave the college. There was nothing reported to authorities and no formal processes to hold him accountable. This was after his previous “treatment and discharge” and again was free to work with and abuse children.
Last month, Fettes College, where he also taught, issued a “full and unreserved apology to anyone who suffered abuse” at the school.
BBC Broadcaster Nicky Campbell, is one of many former pupils to have made an allegation about the teacher. He says he witnessed the sexual abuse of a fellow pupil at Edinburgh Academy. It is believed that Iain Wares abused many more boys in the UK and South Africa and we encourage them to come forward.
This openly abusive man has admitted to abusing children in the UK and is currently fighting extradition from South Africa where he has been publicly named.
In a statement made to the Police *Stephen reports that he was in Standard 5 (Grade 7) at Rondebosch Boys Prep in 1988 in Cape Town when he first encountered Mr Ian Wares. Stephen was both physically and sexually abused by Mr Wares as a child. Tragically, he reports that the physical assault of small boys by adult men in power over them was common place, contributing to the secrecy by making assaulting children the norm.
*Stephen is appealing to other men who may have been abused by Wares during his years at Rondebosch Preparatory school to come forward and contact Women and Men Against Child Abuse.
“This horrific human being has gotten away with abusing boys for decades and we will be strongly opposing bail, as he should be incarcerated already as he is a fugitive from the UK fighting extradition. He has been able live his life with no accountability for the physical and sexual abuse he inflicted on young boys. All of this within a culture of the open physical assaults of boys by men at the school who were meant to nuture them.
I am ashamed as a South African that we are harbouring this monster and hope the South African law, hard fought for, will hold Wares accountable for this historical abuse. We eagerly await his plea as a sign of his remorse for his misuse of power over small children for his own sexual gratification.
#TheyWalkAmongUs, career offenders who choose careers to give them access to children and make a career of abusing children.
#YouCanRun #YouCan’tHide
Miranda Jordan Founding Director Women and Men against Child Abuse.
Miranda Jordan
083 250 6821
