Broadcaster Nicky Campbell has provided testimony at Edinburgh Sheriff Court describing a violent assault by a mathematics teacher at Edinburgh Academy during his time as a pupil in the 1970s. The 65-year-old told the court that Colin Turner, a "physically imposing" educator, attacked him in the school courtyard when Campbell was approximately 15 years old, subjecting him to shaking, slapping and dragging across the playground.
Turner and David Bourne, both former teachers at the prestigious fee-paying institution, face accusations of assaulting pupils. However, both men have been declared medically unfit to stand trial. Instead of a traditional criminal proceeding, a sheriff will examine the evidence and determine whether grounds exist for a conviction in what is known as an examination of facts hearing.
Campbell, who attended Edinburgh Academy from 1966 to 1978, described the circumstances leading to the incident. He explained that he and another pupil were consulting a timetable on a noticeboard after the lunch break to locate their next class. The playground had largely emptied as most students had proceeded to their lessons, with only a handful of stragglers remaining.
According to Campbell's account, Turner approached him from behind without warning.
"I didn't know what was going on, didn't know who it was until I turned around and he started hitting me. He shook me around and started slapping me. He utterly lost it. It was an absolute frenzy."According to STV's reporting, Campbell described the assault as lasting between 15 to 20 seconds.
What happened immediately after the attack?
Campbell told the court that the violence ceased abruptly, as if "the red mist lifted" from Turner's mind. The two then entered a nearby common room and sat together at a table, where Campbell remained visibly distressed and tearful. The presenter recounted telling Turner,
"I could call the police on you for that,"to which the teacher appeared remorseful and "chastened."
Campbell left the school with a torn shirt. When he arrived home, his mother observed his distressed state and contacted the school to report the incident. Following this intervention, Campbell recalled his mother later informing him that Turner had been "dealt with" through some form of disciplinary action or correspondence between the school and the family.
What records exist of this incident?
During his testimony, Campbell revealed that he had accessed his Edinburgh Academy pupil file for the first time only three or four weeks before giving evidence. When asked whether the assault was documented in those records, he responded that the file contained remarkably little information about the incident.
"No, it was ridiculously scant."
This case forms part of a broader pattern of violence at Edinburgh Academy that has emerged in recent years. In March 2024, a sheriff determined that former teacher John Brownlee had repeatedly assaulted pupils across 31 charges, including Campbell, though Brownlee was also found medically unfit to stand trial. Additionally, in 2023 Edinburgh Academy issued an apology for what it described as "brutal and unrestrained" violence and acknowledged that serious sexual abuse had been widespread throughout the institution's history.
What happens next in the case?
Campbell's evidence was scheduled to continue on Thursday, 8 October 2026, as the examination of facts hearing proceeds through testimony from other witnesses and evidence presented by prosecutors.
Key Facts
- Campbell was attacked by maths teacher Colin Turner in the Edinburgh Academy courtyard when he was approximately 15 years old in the 1970s
- Turner and fellow former teacher David Bourne are accused of assaulting pupils but have been deemed medically unfit to stand trial
- A sheriff will determine whether grounds for conviction exist based on evidence presented at the examination of facts hearing
- The assault lasted between 15 to 20 seconds and resulted in Campbell's shirt being torn
- Edinburgh Academy has previously apologised for widespread violence and abuse at the school, with other former teachers also facing similar proceedings
