This item was first published on the FACT website on the 9th October 2004
The following was published in the Hereford Times on Thursday, October 7th, 2004.
Sister’s fight to clear sex abuse head’s name, By Liz Watkins
An 86-year-old woman has pledged to fight on to clear her brother’s name, after he died serving a prison sentence for sex offences.Dennis Eagles, former headmaster of Wessington Court School, Woolhope, was jailed in 1999 for sexually abusing his pupils. He was given a 12-year sentence at Worcester Crown Court and died last month from cancer aged 78. He was five years into his sentence. Before his funeral this week, at Hereford Crematorium, family and friends vowed to continue their campaign to prove his innocence. And they decided donations in tribute should go to FACT –Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers, which campaigns against alleged miscarriages of justice. Eagles’ sister Margaret said she, with friends and family, had joined FACT to highlight her brother’s case. Although he lost a High Court appeal against sentence, Eagles never wavered from his claim that he was wrongly convicted. Miss Eagles, who was matron at the school where her brother was principal, believed him: “I know without a shadow of doubt that he was innocent and should never have been faced with such a situation.” She said. And she thinks there were hundreds of others like him in prison after being falsely accused.The brother and sister retired when Wessington Court, a school for boys between six and 14 with behavioural problems, closed in 1983. Numbers dwindled as education authorities across the country opened their own special schools. It was 4 years later, in 1997, that accusations relating to Wessington Court emerged and Herefordshire police began investigations that took them all over the country. It finally led to Eagles facing charges of buggery, indecent assault and gross indecency involving five victims, the youngest aged eight.Former pupils went into the witness box at Worcester Crown Court to accuse the headmaster of abuse over 10 years and to describe how their ordeals had blighted their lives. One was serving life for murder, another six years for burglary and a third was jailed for indecent assault.
For the defence, other pupils and staff supported Eagles and spoke highly of the school. The jury convicted him, then aged 73, he was jailed for 12 years and put on the sex offenders’ list for life. Miss Eagles told the Hereford Times this week her brother’s life, and her own, had virtually been taken from them at that time. She believed everything had conspired against him, and he had had a very raw deal. She said they were both looking forward to retirement in their beloved Herefordshire, home for 40 years. Instead, her brother had gone to prison where, she added, he had coped as best as he could. “It was not very pleasant but, on the whole, prison officers were very kind,” she explained. Miss Eagles said she had been able to visit when he was at Blakenhurst Prison, in Worcestershire. “But for some unexplained reason he was transferred to Hull and it was very difficult and he worried about me making the long journey,” she said. In prison Eagles joined history classes linked to Hull University. “I believe he was their star pupil and won about 12 certificates “He specialised in writing essays including ones on the First World War and trade unions,” said Miss Eagles. She corresponded several times a week, keeping him up-to-date with Hereford news, and both were concerned with each other’s health.
Eagles was admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary last month and had surgery. He seemed to be making good progress but died on September 9. The funeral was at Hereford Crematorium on Tuesday, conducted by the vicar of Tupsley, Preb. John Reese with about 40 friends, family and former colleagues present. For Miss Eagles the battle is not over. “I shall go on with the fight to try and clear his name,” she said.