Tom Parker Bowles has been dragged into an alleged abuse scandal at his old prep school after a former pupil accused two teachers of sexual assault.
He has been urged to report to police any inappropriate behaviour he may have witnessed at Summer Fields, Oxford, where he studied at the age of seven in the 1980s.
The Duchess of Cornwall’s son claimed the school was ‘a hotbed of the sorts of things that are coming out now’ and reportedly said one master would join boys in the shower.
The boarding school attended by Tom Parker Bowles (pictured with wife Sarah) is facing legal action from another former pupil who claims two teachers there sexually assaulted him
Yesterday a lawyer acting on behalf of a former pupil, who is taking legal action against the school, praised Mr Parker Bowles for his comments in an interview last week.
Liz Dux, who specialises in abuse cases, confirmed that she is representing a man who attended the school from 1972, aged eight. He claims one teacher assaulted him on four occasions, including once when he was made to kneel on a bed naked from the waist down while being punished.
He says he was touched and caned on his bare bottom.
He further alleges another teacher was present when the boys had baths and touched him and other boys inappropriately. Both teachers are believed to be dead.
Miss Dux, of lawyers Slater and Gordon, said the case is in its initial stages. If the former pupil began a court action, it would be a claim for damages for the actual assaults and for any psychological injury caused as a result of assault or abuse.
She said: ‘We would urge anyone with any information to report the matter. We applaud Tom Parker Bowles for speaking out about his time at the school but if he witnessed any inappropriate behaviour he should report it to the police.’
The Duchess of Cornwall's son has claimed his prep school, Summer Fields (pictured) in Oxford, was 'a hotbed of the sorts of things that are coming out now'
Tom Parker Bowles, (pictured aged five in 1980), was packed off to boarding school at the age of seven
Miss Dux said it has taken a long time for the former pupil to speak about what happened and ‘he feels that other members of staff must have known about the abuse and that the school must take responsibility for what happened’.
She said: ‘In my experience of dealing with claims about abuse within schools, other members of staff sometimes had either direct knowledge of what was occurring or at least reasonable suspicions.’
Summer Fields, which charges boarding fees of £25,953 a year, is a feeder school for Eton, where Mr Parker Bowles went. The motto is ‘mens sana in corpore sano’ – a healthy mind in a healthy body.
In the interview with The Times last week, Mr Parker Bowles said Camilla regretted sending him away to board so young. A Summer Fields spokesman said that allegations of historic abuse have been reported to police and authorities.
He added: ‘The school treats allegations of this nature with the utmost seriousness, regardless of how long ago they occurred.
‘It is very upsetting that the Summer Fields of today, which prides itself on its pastoral care, should be associated with allegations of this nature.'
Source: The Mail
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