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An Argyll ballet school has been the target of police probes after allegations of sexual assault.
One employee has been suspended and investigations are ongoing after a 16-year-old girl was allegedly groomed by Ballet West’s 38-year-old vice principal, the BBC reported.
The Argyll ballet school’s vice principal, Jonathan Barton, has resigned and Ballet West has stopped operations following the accusations.
Investigations into sexual misconduct at Ballet West commenced after students made allegations against the ballet school’s employees.
In addition to Barton’s resignation, another Ballet West employee has been suspended following the claims, The Stage reported.
The sexual misconduct claims are regarding inappropriate touching, according to the Daily Mail.
The Argyll ballet school’s former vice principal is the predominant target of the investigation over the alleged sexual assault and grooming accusations.
Barton has been at the centre of the allegations from parents and other staff members at Ballet West, The Herald reported.
Dozens of employees, parents, and students have raised concerns about the vice-principal, reportedly over his conduct, the Daily Mail reported.
According to ITV News, a witness has come forth with allegations that Barton groomed her and sent illicit text messages to her when she was 16 years old.
QC Dr. Kirsty Hood is going to lead the investigation into Ballet West, identifying whether the claims of inappropriate sexual behaviour are valid, according to the Daily Mail. Police Scotland have said they have officially initiated an investigation.
Barton resigned after approximately 60 people made allegations, but he has maintained his innocence, according to the BBC. The accused vice-principal is expected to challenge the accusations.
The Scottish police investigated allegations about “behavior” issues at the school during the 2011-2012 academic year, but it was unable to confirm any criminality and took no further action, according to the Daily Mail.
Ballet West is in Taynuilt, Argyll. The prestigious ballet school costs £9,000 annually, according to The Herald.
Established in 1991, Ballet West is a facility to train dancers up to an undergraduate level, the BBC reported. The school leads courses for dance teachers and runs outreach programmes for young dancers.
The Argyll ballet school started a professional touring company in 2018 and began employing former pupils around the world, according to the BBC. The school even took the title of Best British Ballet School at the 2019-2020 British Ballet Grand Prix.
The school’s trustees say provisional liquidator has been selected for Ballet West, according the BBC. The Argyll ballet school has had its accreditation withdrawn from several college and university courses.
“The Board of Trustees is deeply saddened by this outcome and appalled that parent and students have been placed in such a terrible situation,” the Argyll ballet school’s board of trustees said in a statement on the school’s website. “This is the consequence of a catastrophic sequence of events and we could not prevent this from happening.
“We were advised by email late Sunday evening August 9 that ITN had made allegations as a result of which the Vice-Principal tendered his resignation on Tuesday, August 11 which the Board immediately accepted. Immediate action was required in response, and the Board launched an internal inquiry, committed to an external inquiry and informed Police Scotland. These allegations which were broadcast on Thursday, August 13, were shocking.”
The Argyll school stated it was not aware of any sexual misconduct between its staff members and students, The Herald reported.
Ballet West’s Board of Trustees says they called the police as soon as they found out about the allegations, according to the Daily Mail. They have said they are welcoming the police investigation into the claims and ask anyone with information regarding the complaints to bring it to police attention.
Police Scotland says it has gotten more reports that it will be exhaustively investigating, according to The Herald. A spokesperson for the police force said they are dedicated to treating the sexual misconduct reports seriously.
What is your opinion about the allegations of sexual abuse at Ballet West? What do you think will be the outcome of these claims? Let us know in the comments.
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