Former house master jailed for sexually abusing children at Newton Stewart residential school
The offences took place during the 1970s and 1980s.
A 78-year-old former house master has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing vulnerable children while working at a residential school in Newton Stewart.
William Brydson committed the offences during his tenure as Head of Care at Monken Hadley, later known as Woodlands School.
He was found guilty of 12 charges, including rape, indecent assault and assault to injury, at the High Court in Kilmarnock on 4th December 2025.
Brydson, from Nairn, committed the crimes during the 1970s and 1980s.
On 21st January 2026, sentencing took place at the High Court in Edinburgh, where Brydson was jailed for 10 years. He has also been placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.
Faye Cook, Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, said: “The conviction of William Brydson lays bare the horrific abuse suffered by vulnerable children at Monken Hadley and Woodlands School.
“What these young people endured was not only criminal - it was a devastating abuse of trust that should never have happened.
“As a house master and Head of Care, he held a position meant to protect and nurture. Instead, he used it to inflict repeated physical and sexual abuse, leaving lives shattered and scarred.
“The court’s decision sends a clear message to abusers: no matter who you are, when it happened or how long after the event it is reported, there will be a robust response from Scotland's prosecutors."
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