Ex-teacher arrested as he faces 90 new sex abuse charges

A former teacher accused of historical sex abuse charges in Scotland, which he denies, has been arrested in South Africa. Iain Wares, 86, faces 90 new charges.

He has been accused of abuse by a number of former pupils of Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College, where he was a teacher in the 1960s and 70s. New charges have been brought by 65 people who allege they were sexually and physically abused by Mr Wares in Scotland.

Scotland's Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said previously that Mr Wares faces 74 charges.

Mr Wares moved to South Africa in 1979 and taught there until he retired in 2006. The country's High Court ruled in August 2024 that Mr Wares could be extradited to the UK to face trial in Scotland over three charges.

His extradition was delayed when authorities in the UK sought to submit further charges against Mr Wares. In 2018, prosecutors first requested Mr Wares' extradition. That led to his arrest in May the following year on seven charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour.