MICHAEL MCCUE'S SHOCKING CRIMES IN HUYTON AND CURRIE REVEALED

In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the communities of Huyton and Currie, Michael McCue, an 83-year-old former teacher, has been found guilty of heinous sexual offenses committed decades ago. The revelations came to light after a recent report in the ECHO, which prompted a new victim to come forward and expose the extent of McCue's predatory behavior.

McCue's criminal activities primarily took place during his tenure at the now-defunct Page Moss school in Huyton, during the 1970s and 1980s. The school, which later became Bowring Comprehensive, was the setting for numerous instances of abuse by McCue, who had previously been convicted of abusing at least five other children. His earlier conviction in April 2014 resulted in a two-year prison sentence, with Judge Andrew Menary, QC, commenting at the time, “There are probably more than that, but it’s now difficult to tell.”

The latest case involves a victim who, after reading the ECHO report, decided to break his silence. Prosecutor Paul Treble detailed how McCue’s abuse extended to attempting to measure the victim’s genitals in a caravan before subjecting him to sexual acts. The victim, a teenager in his early teens at the time, was targeted in the early 1980s when he was just 13 years old and struggling academically. McCue exploited this vulnerability by paying for trips to Wales and Scotland, claiming he was helping to boost the boy’s confidence.

The abuse began when the boy agreed to assist McCue in fitting boarded walls in a caravan parked outside McCue’s residence. During this incident, McCue asked the boy whether he preferred sex with girls or boys and made inappropriate innuendos that left the young victim feeling embarrassed. Subsequently, McCue forced the boy to pull down his underwear and performed a sex act on him, ignoring the boy’s cries and pleas for him to stop. Despite the assault, McCue continued to act as if nothing had happened, even after telling the boy not to tell anyone or he would get into trouble with his parents and school, warning that no one would believe him.

Further abuse occurred during a school trip when McCue arranged for the boy to sleep alone in a room while other children shared a different room. The victim’s fears materialized when McCue lay behind him and attempted to perform another sex act. The young boy was left feeling terrified and betrayed, with McCue dismissing the incident as if it were insignificant and warning him to remain silent.

The emotional toll on the victim has been profound. He described suffering over 30 years of grief, heartache, anxiety, and stress, which led him to turn to alcohol and drugs. He has undergone counseling and only confided in his wife two years prior, feeling humiliated every time he recalled the traumatic events. Now on anti-depressants, he expressed a desire for his life to return to normal and for McCue to be prevented from harming anyone else.

In police interviews conducted in January 2015, McCue claimed he could not remember the specific boy but acknowledged the possibility of having abused him. The court heard that the delay in bringing the case to trial raised questions, with Judge David Aubrey, QC, demanding answers as to why it took over a year for the case to reach court and why McCue was only summoned via postal requisition. McCue, who currently resides on Dolphin Road in Currie, Midlothian, was remanded on bail pending sentencing.

Earlier, in April 2014, McCue was sentenced to two years in prison for abusing a 14-year-old boy at the same school during the 1970s. The victim, who cannot be named publicly, had fallen into alcoholism and depression due to the abuse. He came forward after seeing media coverage related to Jimmy Savile’s sexual offenses, which prompted him to reveal his own suffering. The victim recounted how McCue had started abusing him after catching him smoking and then forcing him into performing sex acts in McCue’s office. The assaults occurred approximately every six weeks, with McCue warning the boy not to tell anyone, threatening to spread rumors about his sexuality and to inform his mother.

Prosecutor Paul Treble explained that McCue’s coercive tactics included threatening to tell the boy’s mother and creating a climate of fear. McCue also coached the school football team and warned the victim that he would be expelled if he revealed the abuse, further demonstrating the systematic nature of his misconduct.

Judge Menary described McCue’s actions as part of a deliberate scheme, emphasizing that the assaults involved significant planning. McCue was found guilty of 12 charges related to the sexual abuse over a two-year period and later admitted a 13th charge following media attention. The judge highlighted McCue’s prior convictions for abusing at least four other young boys, noting that the true extent of his offenses might be even greater. Due to the number of offenses, the judge indicated that a sentence of up to seven years would have been appropriate if all had been revealed simultaneously. Instead, McCue was ordered to sign the sex offender register for life and was subject to a sexual offences prevention order, restricting his interactions with children under 16 and prohibiting him from changing his name without notifying authorities.