JAMES BERRY EXTRADITED FROM MALLORCA TO GLASGOW AND RENFREW FOR SEX CRIMES - HEADTEACHER'S BID TO OVERTURN CONVICTION

In September 2022, a significant legal development unfolded involving James Berry, a former headteacher who was extradited from Spain to face serious criminal charges in Scotland. Berry, who had been living in Nova Santa Ponsa on the Balearic island of Mallorca for the past three decades, is now actively seeking to overturn his conviction for a series of heinous sex crimes committed in Glasgow and Renfrew.

Berry was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison after being found guilty of multiple counts of indecent assault and rape. The crimes spanned several years and involved two victims, with the assaults taking place at various locations across Glasgow, Renfrew, and Houston. The 77-year-old former educator has instructed his legal team to submit documents to the High Court in Edinburgh, aiming to have his conviction nullified. Today, his lawyers are scheduled to present their arguments before a panel of judges, who will determine whether the verdict should stand or be overturned.

Berry, who denied all charges, was tried and convicted at Glasgow High Court in February 2022. The court found him guilty of five counts, including assault, indecent assault, and rape. His criminal history includes a disturbing pattern of abuse dating back to the early 1960s. The first victim, whom Berry assaulted in 1963, was subjected to punching, throttling, and rape at addresses in Glasgow, Renfrew, and Houston. The second victim, who was just a child when the abuse began in 1969, endured a prolonged period of sexual abuse, including rape at various locations, again in Glasgow, Renfrew, and Houston.

Berry dismissed the allegations made by one of the victims, claiming they were part of a 'criminal conspiracy' aimed at removing him from his position at the school where he worked. Prosecutors, however, painted a starkly different picture, describing how the first victim was physically assaulted and choked, while the second was subjected to a harrowing ordeal that included abuse at a Glasgow hotel and during a driving lesson. Berry's defense argued that the victims' accounts were fabricated, with Berry claiming that 'things had been made up in her imagination.'

At the time of the crimes, Berry was serving as the headteacher at King Richard III College, a private educational institution located on the Balearic island of Mallorca. His role there spanned over 30 years before his extradition to Scotland in 2019 under a European arrest warrant. The extradition process was a significant step in bringing him to face justice for the allegations.

During the sentencing, Judge Thomas Welsh QC acknowledged the severity of the crimes but noted that Berry's advanced age and the considerable time elapsed since the offenses were factors that mitigated the potential sentence. The judge stated that Berry would have faced a ten-year prison term if not for these circumstances, highlighting the gravity of the case and the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding his conviction.