TIMES
HIGHER EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT 02-08-09
Marcello Mega
A
PhD student at Glasgow University is facing a police investigation and possible
dismissal from his course after guaranteeing confidentiality to men confessing
to the sexual abuse of children.
Richard
Yuill, a final-year researcher in the department of sociology and anthropology,
is examining what he calls “man-boy
relationships". In letters to potential interviewees, he says: "I
would like to assure anyone that any information and identities will be
anonymous and treated sensitively.
The
incidents outlined in leaked interview transcripts were previously unknown to
the police. Two of his interviewees admit they brought foreign boys back to the
UK and had sex with them over some years.
The
affair is a major embarrassment for the university, which was alerted last year
to doubts about the suitability of the PhD project it was funding.
It
was shown material to suggest Yuill's research may have been misdirected.
In an advert for interview subjects he placed in Koinos,
a magazine used by paedophiles, he stated that his aim was "to
challenge the theoretical and empirical assumption of abuse in man-boy
relationships”.
In
an email Yuill sent to Tom O'Carroll, a founder member of the reviled Paedophile
Information
Exchange,
he stated. "It will take time
to convince the gatekeepers of my bona fide status as researcher (ha ha!)."
The
university suspended Yuill's computer access while it conducted a low-key
investigation before clearing him of wrongdoing. His superior, David Evans, was
vociferous in defending his charge, saying nothing was taboo in academia.
But
in granting confidentiality to men who have sexually abused children, Yuill may
have gone too far. The university
has now seen transcripts outlining a number of disturbing cases.
A
Glasgow University spokeswoman said: “This material is now in the hands of
senior university staff and a thorough examination is in progress."
Pressed
on whether the university could in any circumstances justify a researcher
withholding evidence of serious crimes to the police, she said: "Given the
serious nature of the situation, it is anticipated our examination could take up
to four weeks. In the meantime, we
intend to cooperate fully with the police.
The
paedophile unit at Strathclyde Police is now examining the transcripts.
Yuill,
who lives in Bearsden, on the outskirts of Glasgow, is likely to be asked to
hand over research material and interview tapes. ,
He
was not available for comment and his supervisor refused to discuss the latest
developments.