A Mormon Bishop and his midwife spouse, who told a court they had used a belt to beat children when they were naughty, have been cleared of assault.
Dennis Campbell and wife Avril hugged family members after they were cleared of historical child assault charges on Monday, following a five-day trial.
The former Bishop, 77, who worked as a prison nurse at Castle Huntly jail, was found unanimously not guilty of the two charges he faced.
Avril Campbell was found unanimously not guilty on one charge, not guilty by a majority on a second, and had the third charge not proven by a majority.
Family describes ‘hell’ of case
After the trial, their son Scott Campbell released a statement in which he described “an almost three-year period of hell” during the case.
They said: “Many of the delays in having the case heard are Covid-related but it should not be understated the damage that has been done to two elderly people caused by this prolonged period of uncertainty.
“Some of that damage may be permanent.”
He questioned why the case had been brought, calling the evidence “flawed”.
“Lessons need to be learned.
“This will be of no benefit for our parents but hopefully it will result in other innocent accused people not going through what our parents have suffered with.”
He went on: “Our parents bear no ill will to the complainants in this case.
“They remain confused and upset at what motivated them to make baseless and malicious allegations against them.
“My parents prayer for the complainants is that they will find peace in their own lives.”
Couple admitted belting children
Mrs Campbell, now 74, had told a jury she used a belt to hit a child as punishment when she was “disappointed” in him but gave it up because she “didn’t like it”.
She and her husband, who acted as foster parents, admitted belting him on a number of occasions as a punishment.
She said: “I would smack his hand, smack his bottom, tell him off.
“I used the belt four times. I was only doing it a wee bit.
“I have said that I did try it and I didn’t like it.
“The first time I was useless at it.
“I got better at it but it was never more than four times.
“Four times I used the belt and I gave it up because I didn’t think it was good.”
One of the complainers described Mrs Campbell as a “tyrant” who would use her husband as “an enforcer” to belt the children when he returned from the Mormon church at night.
Contacted complainers years later
Dennis Campbell said he could not remember exactly why he had punished the children but said it was likely to have been for “hyperactivity or lying”.
He branded one of his accusers “a compulsive liar” and said he had hit the children on a number of occasions but denied it was on a daily basis.
He told the jury he could remember using a belt to strike the boy and girl on their bare buttocks but said it was “very rare”.
“I heard it was on a daily basis and I don’t know if that was a lie or an exaggeration but it’s not true.
“It was for hyperactivity or lying. I felt justified at the time.
“I know in today’s climate we are in a different world now.
“When I look back now it was all wrong.”
He admitted texting the female complainer, now 52, and telling her: “I did make a mess of it back then and I do hope the healing continues with you.”
He left a voicemail for the male complainer, also now 52, in which he called himself “a ghost from the past”.
He asked to meet and said: “I’m just doing a lot of reflection on my life.”
He said the man responded: “You’re a good guy Dennis – it was Avril that was the tyrant.”
Female complainer
The female complainer told the trial: “Growing up, there was frenzied, angry slapping, and smacking and kicking.
“Slapping on the face. [Avril] was kicking me in the stomach.
“When we were in trouble we would get hit with the belt.
“Both would use the belt. [Dennis] was more effective – she struggled to get a good whip on it.”
She added: “They were really hurtful and it stayed with me into adulthood.
“The most important thing [for them] was to be a good Mormon.
“She really did believe she was better than other people.
“It was about being a good person in church.”
Male complainer
The other witness told the trial he had been lashed with the belt on an almost daily basis while he was staying with the couple at their homes in Dundee and Angus.
He claimed he was forced to eat whole bars of soap, made to stand outside in winter when he was naked and was kicked as he cowered on the floor.
He said: “Avril was pretty much the instigator in a lot of this.
“She would use Dennis, in essence, as an enforcer. I was in complete fear.”
The couple, of King Street, Broughty Ferry, were cleared of attacking and neglecting the boy and girl at addresses around Dundee and Angus on dates between 1976 and 1981 and 1978 and 1990, respectively.
