Earl Spencer reveals abuse at boarding school

Earl Spencer said he was targeted by a female member of staff at Maidwell Hall, Northamptonshire in the 1970s. He alleges the abuse began when he was just 11 years old. The school said allegations of sexual abuse had been referred to a local authority designated officer. Earl Spencer said he had established that the employee now either lives abroad or is dead.

He also alleged the school’s then headmaster, John Porch, inflicted “brutal beatings. Mr Porch died in January 2022, according to an obituary in his college newsletter. After his time at Maidwell, he attended Eton College. At the heart of the changes is the safeguarding of children and promotion of their welfare.

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