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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 locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Nicky Campbell, a BBC Radio 5 Live presenter, testified at Edinburgh Sheriff Court about an attack he experienced as a student in the 1970s at Edinburgh Academy. When Campbell was around 15 years old, former teacher Colin Turner violently attacked him in the school courtyard after pulling him from behind. Campbell described being slapped, hit, dragged across the playground, and pushed to the ground by Turner.
Turner and another ex-teacher, David Bourne, are accused of attacking pupils but have been deemed medically unfit to stand trial. As a result, a sheriff will hear evidence in the case instead of holding a full trial to determine if there is sufficient grounds for conviction. Campbell emphasized that the incident was "one of the most terrifying things" he has ever experienced and that it left him with vivid memories despite some memory lapses due to dissociative amnesia.
Written for “Teacher Attacks Nicky Campbell” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 65800 · logged 2026-10-08
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 → ?
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