Michael McCue sexually abused several of his pupils at the former Page Moss School
Michael McCue leaving court following an appearance during previous proceedings
A former maths teacher has told a court “I must plead guilty” after his sordid past came back to haunt him. Michael McCue subjected several of his pupils to a catalogue of sickening sexual abuse while working at the former Page Moss School, later Bowring Community Sports College.
The now 91-year-old has previously served time in prison over his vile actions and appeared before Liverpool Magistrates’ Court this afternoon, Monday, after being charged with offences against another victim. He was not made to enter dock and instead stood at the back of the courtroom aided by two walking sticks.
Sporting short grey hair and glasses, as well as a black coat over a shirt and tie, McCue spoke to confirm his name, address and date of birth. He was then asked to enter a plea to a charge of gross indecency with a child, occurring over the span of five years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, to which he replied: “I must plead guilty.”
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A count of indecent assault against the same boy over the course of around 18 months in the early 1990s was then put to him. McCue, of Dolphin Road in Currie, near Edinburgh, responded: “Also, I have to plead guilty.”
Andrew Page, prosecuting, described how the defendant was a mathematics teacher at the school, which closed in 2009 after merging with Knowsley Hey High School in order to form the Lord Derby Academy, while the complainant was a pupil. The court heard that the serial paedophile would touch his victim’s inner thigh over his clothing “on a daily basis”, put his fingers inside his pockets while attempting to rub his penis and place his hand inside the waistband of his trousers in order to molest him.
The boy was also invited to McCue’s home on one occasion under the pretence of playing billiards. Instead, his abuser pulled the boy’s trousers and underwear down and indecently assaulted him.
McCue, who was represented by Laurence Lee, has several previous convictions for “like offending” – dating back to 2001, when he was imprisoned for 15 months. He was released on unconditional bail ahead of his sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court on January 27, telling the panel of magistrates “thank you very much, sirs and madam” as he left the courtroom.
The ECHO previously reported that McCue was jailed for two years in 2014 after abusing a 14-year-old boy during the 1970s. He warned the teenager that he would tell his mum he had been smoking and spread rumours about his sexuality if he revealed the assaults, as well as threatening to drop him from the school’s football team.
A further victim then came forward after reading this coverage and disclosed how McCue had “tried to measure his genitals in a caravan” before performing sex acts on him when he was aged 13. This led to him being handed a 20-month imprisonment suspended for two years in 2016.