LAWYERS acting for Celtic FC in a compo case involving abused footie starlets have won a legal bid to secure the tax records of notorious paedos Jim Torbett and Frank Cairney.
Judge Lord Arthurson gave permission this morning for the Glasgow side’s legal team to secure documents from HMRC concerning the former Celtic Boys Club bosses.
The judge gave the go ahead during a procedural hearing into the case at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
The Scottish champions are being sued by around 25 former Boys Club players in a ‘class action’ style claim amid allegations the pro outfit didn’t do enough to stop the abuse.
Hoops chiefs have always claimed that the Boys Club was a ’separate entity’ to the senior side and that the Parkhead club shouldn’t be held responsible.
Roddy Dunlop KC – who is acting for Celtic – asked the court for permission to approach HMRC to obtain documents concerning Torbett, 75, and Cairney, 88.
Mr Dunlop told the court the club wanted to investigate claims made by lawyers for the Boys Club players that the two men were employed by Celtic.
Earlier in the hearing, the players’ lawyer Ian Mackay KC told the court that Celtic believe the claim concerning Celtic’s employment of Cairney is a “fantasy.”
Explaining his client’s position, Mr Mackay said the pursuers had a letter from the man in which he resigned from his position at Celtic.
He added: “He was employed by the defenders – that follows on from the letter in which he resigned from his employers.
“The defenders simply deny that. They say that is just a fantasy; that he was never employed by them.”
The abuse survivors are mounting the “super case” using new powers under Scottish law.
Lawyers for the men are hoping more former Boys Club players will come forward.
They have brought “group proceedings” against Celtic FC PLC – the procedure is similar to US class action style litigations.
Torbett, who founded Celtic Boys Club in 1966, was jailed in November 2018 for abusing three former Celtic Boys Club players.
He was also convicted in April this year of sexually abusing Gordon Woods, who didn’t play for the club, in the 1960s.
The High Court in Inverness heard how he abused Mr Woods – who bravely gave up his right to anonymity – at his late mother’s flat in Glasgow.
He was also charged with indecently assaulting the boy at a toyshop in Glasgow’s Maryhill.
A second indecent assault charge claimed Torbett targeted the boy while in a vehicle in Drumchapel.
Torbett was also charged with using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards the boy, as well as touching him on the body while he was asleep at a flat in Sighthill.
Cairney was at the heart of the youth operation for decades before he was caged for three years in 2019 over a series of sex attacks on footie starlets between 1965 and 1986.
He faced a second trial on indecent assault charges but avoided the trial due to ‘ill-health’.
At a previous hearing, Mr Mackay outlined his case against the club.
He said that the evidence showed the two entities were connected and that the club was ‘vicariously liable” for the assaults committed by the pair.
He added: “Celtic Boys Club was intimately connected to Celtic Football Club – it was branded as being closely connected to Celtic Football Club.
“Players played in Celtic strips and wore blazers which were virtually identical to those worn by Celtic FC players.
“Football kit, holdalls and training gear were provided by Celtic Football Club.”
Mr Dunlop today told Lord Arthurson that the tax records were needed by Celtic to prepare their case.
He added: “The public interest is in having a fair court hearing.
“We are being told that Celtic is vicariously liable for the actions of these two men. In my submission it is relevant.
“We need to do everything that we can and that’s the reason for this motion. It is plainly justified.”
Mr Mackay also told the court that he was also going to request Celtic to hand over original copies of the club’s newspaper the Celtic View from the time of the abuse.
This is because Mr Mackay’s legal team believe the newspapers will contain information about the Boys Club which is relevant to his case.
He told the court that members of his legal team had gone to the Mitchell Library in Glasgow but were unable to obtain the information they needed.
However, Mr Mackay said he wasn’t going to advance with the order because Celtic have agreed to hand over copies.
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Lord Arthurson told the parties that he believed it was “relevant” for Celtic to obtain the documents from the tax authorities.
He added: “I’m going to grant the motion for the defenders.”
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