A Fife boarding school at the centre of a child abuse trial had been investigated a decade before charges were brought, a court was told.
Acting detective sergeant Andrew Gilmour told a jury that an investigation was launched into St Ninian’s School in Falkland between 2000 and 2002, but no one was ever charged.
The High Court in Glasgow heard the probe was started after four former pupils went to police with allegations about events at the school, which was run by the Christian Brothers in the 1970s and 1980s.
Mr Gilmour said that he and four colleagues began working on the current investigation from October 2013 after a former pupil made an abuse claim.
He was asked by prosecutor Kath Harper what he did and replied: “We contacted the congregation of the Christian Brothers who ran the school and asked for information on who was at the school.”
Miss Harper asked: “Did you get information from the Christian Brothers about that,” and the police officer replied: “Not from the Christian Brothers. We received information after a number of months from a firm of solicitors who were acting for them.”
The court was told that the police were given a list of more than 100 former pupils and tried to contact them, but found some had died and others were untraceable.
Mr Gilmour said: “We probably managed to trace 60 per cent.”
John Farrell, 73, Paul Kelly, 63, Edward Egan, 78, Michael Murphy, 76, and William Don, 61, are accused of physically and sexually abusing boys at the former St Ninian’s.
They deny the charges against them.
The court was told that after they appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court on petition in April 2014 more alleged victims came forward to the police after reading press publicity about the case.
The court indictment against Farrell, from Motherwell; Kelly, from Plymouth; Egan, from Liverpool; Murphy from Dunfermline and Don from Leven, lists 121 charges involving sexual abuse and physical abuse and dozens of witnesses are expected to give evidence.
The majority of the allegations are against Farrell and Kelly.
The Crown alleges that a total of 35 boys were allegedly abused at the school.
The jury was told that during the 2001 investigation a questionnaire was sent to 30 former pupils by Fife Constabulary asking if they had been abused at the school.
Only three people replied and they all denied being the victims of sexual abuse.
The trial continues.
