Former pupils of jailed paedophile teacher Stephen Lavery are calling for a public inquiry into how he was able to carry out a tirade of sexual abuse spanning three decades.
Lavery, now aged 70, was jailed last week for sexually abusing pupils in the late 80s and early 90s.
In 1995 he was also convicted of similar offences dating back to the late 70s.
This week, one of his victims told The Courier the abuse became so bad he tried to blow himself up.
Now former pupils, who were not victims, are speaking out about their time in his classroom.
Among them is Ginny Lawson, a community worker and campaigner in Dundee, who was a pupil of Lavery’s in the 70s.
Ginny was not abused by Lavery but said she knew his behaviour to her classmates was wrong, leaving her with a legacy of mental health issues.
Now, she wants answers as to how he got away with what he did for so long.
“I’ve waited over 30 years to see this predator of young children locked up,” she said.
“He left a lot of mental damage behind him and a custodial sentence at 70 years old seems too little too late.
“The then Tayside Regional Council has a lot to answer for.
“There should now be a full public inquiry into the extent of the abuse, maybe then we could all have some real closure.”
Ginny, now a manager at charity and community facility the Brooksbank Centre, said she and other former pupils were aware of the abuse, but were too young to comprehend it.
“We were only children and it was very hard for us to understand what was happening,” she said.
“However, we knew it wasn’t right.
“He has left many of us feeling guilty and responsible for not speaking out at the time but we really didn’t know what to say or do.
“Lavery was in a position of trust and he controlled all the children that he taught.”
‘What he did was disgusting’
Another former pupil of Lavery, Lorraine Jack, said she was pleased to see Lavery jailed.
Although not an abuse victim herself, she said she was afraid of Lavery when he was her teacher.
Lorraine said: “What that man did to children was disgusting.
“We witnessed and were aware of some dreadful things.
“We were only children and were all very confused about what was going on at the time.
“Lavery controlled us and we were all afraid to say anything at that time.
“Now we are just very angry about what that man did and what he got away with for so long.
“I am delighted to see him coming to court and finally being sent to prison for the crimes against our classmates.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “The council takes child protection extremely seriously and constantly works with the local community, partner agencies and the workforce to raise awareness, tackle perpetrators of harm and support victims.
“We will continue to encourage people to report any current concerns and will respond immediately.”
The Scottish Government declined to comment about the calls for an inquiry into Lavery.