The extradition of Iain Wares, an 87-year-old former teacher, to face historical sexual abuse allegations in Scotland has been delayed for a second time. Wares, who taught at Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College during the 1960s and 1970s, now resides in Cape Town, South Africa, where he was arrested on a UK extradition warrant in October 2025 and subsequently released on bail. The hearing originally scheduled for Tuesday has been rescheduled to 10 November to allow legal representatives to examine correspondence submitted by the UK government regarding the admissibility of evidence.
Wares confronts approximately 90 charges stemming from allegations of abuse involving former pupils. According to reporting from September, the charges have expanded to 93 counts in Scotland, including rape and indecent assault, brought forward by 68 former pupils. South Africa's national prosecuting authority has specified that these additional charges encompass 60 counts of sexual assault, four of rape and 25 of assault.
The extradition process has encountered multiple obstacles since Scottish prosecutors first sought Wares' extradition in 2018. He was initially arrested in 2019 on seven charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour. The Western Cape High Court in Cape Town ruled in 2024 that he could be extradited on three charges, but the process stalled as Scottish authorities pursued additional allegations against him.
An extradition hearing scheduled for 16 April 2026 was cancelled after the state prosecutor became unavailable due to illness and no replacement could be located. According to a national broadcaster's report, the matter will return to Simon's Town Magistrates' Court on 28 April for a procedural hearing to establish a new date for the extradition enquiry.
In a parallel development, a South African court found Wares guilty of indecently assaulting a former student in 1988. He remains to be sentenced for this conviction. South African media reported that during court proceedings, evidence emerged that Wares had been diagnosed with pedophilic disorder. According to reporting on the case, his extradition proceedings are running in parallel with the local South African assault case, and he must serve any sentence imposed in South Africa before being transferred to Scotland.
Wares has consistently denied all charges and has contested the extradition throughout the process. Several of his alleged victims in Scotland travelled to South Africa earlier in 2026 to attend the extradition hearing. They characterised the repeated delays as "crushing" and expressed frustration that South Africa functioned as the "perfect haven for paedophiles". BBC presenter Nicky Campbell, who was not himself abused by Wares, has stated that he witnessed the sexual abuse of a pupil by the teacher.
Background to the case
The allegations against Wares relate to his employment at two prominent Edinburgh schools during the 1960s and 1970s. The case has drawn significant public attention in Scotland, with victims and their supporters expressing concern about the length of time required to bring him to justice. South Africa's justice ministry approved his extradition in August 2024 following the Western Cape High Court's determination that extradition was permissible on three charges. The Constitutional Court subsequently examined the legality of the extradition framework in Wares's case, with judgment issued in December 2025.
What happens next
The procedural hearing on 28 April will determine when the full extradition enquiry will take place. According to reporting, the next hearing in the South African sentencing case was scheduled for 21 July. The outcome of the sentencing in South Africa may influence the timeline for his potential transfer to Scotland to face the additional charges there.
Key Facts
- Wares, 87, faces 93 charges in Scotland brought by 68 former pupils, including rape, indecent assault and sexual assault
- He was convicted in South Africa in 2026 of indecently assaulting a former student in 1988 and awaits sentencing
- The extradition hearing has been delayed twice; the next procedural hearing is scheduled for 28 April at Simon's Town Magistrates' Court
- Wares taught at Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College in the 1960s and 1970s
- He has denied all charges and contested extradition proceedings since his arrest in October 2025
