THE headmaster of an exclusive British school in Mallorca has been convicted by a Glasgow court of sexually abusing two women in Scotland.

A jury on Friday found James Berry, 77, guilty of five charges including raping both women.

The offences occurred in Scotland between 1963 and 1987.

He was arrested by the Guardia Civil in March 2019 and extradited to Scotland on a European Arrest Warrant.

Berry is the owner and headteacher of King Richard III College in Portals Nous, near Palma.

He has lived on Mallorca for 30 years and is married.

Berry Arrest
BERRY’S 2019 ARREST BY GUARDIA CIVIL

The Glasgow trial heard that he was also said to have been abusive in Spain and Canada.

Berry was previously cleared by a Mallorca court over sex abuse allegations brought by a woman in 2016.

In 2018, Berry told the Olive Press that the allegations were made in a bid to ‘run him out of the school’ as the woman wanted to take over from him.

In a March 2019 letter to parents, Berry said: ‘‘After being cleared of the brutal accusations brought against me in Spain, now I must face the same allegations in Scotland

‘‘The accusations have caused great pain to my loved ones, so I beg you to continue to trust us and especially support my family.

‘‘We will win again the battle in which my innocence will be established once and for all.”

During the Glasgow hearing, jurors heard how the second of Berry’s two victims suffered an assault at the city’s Hilton Hotel and during a driving lesson.

Quizzed about the allegations from her by his barrister, Claire Mitchell, Berry said: “She was never abused. I can assure you.”

He claimed ‘things had been brought up in her imagination’.

Berry said this victim had made allegations as part of a ‘criminal conspiracy’ to take over his school.

He told jurors: “I have been teaching for 50 years and I have a perfect record.”

Prosecutor Kath Harper suggested to Berry, that if he was telling the truth, he was the target of ‘horrific allegations’, to which he responded by saying ‘yes’.

After the guilty verdict, Berry, who had been free on bail, was remanded into custody ahead of sentencing on February 28.

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