Torbett's time at the Boys Club came to a sudden end in 1974. Much later, after he was exposed as a paedophile, there were reports in the Scottish press that Torbett, by then the general manager of the Boys Club, had been sacked by Jock Stein. But at the time there was no mention of any improper behaviour, and no one at Celtic reported the allegations against him to Strathclyde Police. In fact, the November 1974 edition of the club's official magazine, The Celtic View, crowed that Torbett "bows out after another season of glory". In the article, Torbett said his football memorabilia business was growing so fast that it was time for him to stand down from managing the youth side.
托贝特在男孩俱乐部的日子在1974年突然结束了。很久之后,在他被曝有恋童癖之后,苏格兰媒体报道称当时担任男孩俱乐部总经理的托贝特被乔克·斯坦解雇了。但当时并没有提及任何不当行为,凯尔特也没有人向斯特拉思克莱德警方报告对他的指控。事实上,俱乐部的官方杂志《凯尔特观点》在1974年11月版上就曾盛言道,托贝特“在又一个辉煌的赛季之后退出了”。在这篇文章中,托贝特说,他的足球纪念品生意上升如此之快,是时候从青年队的管理中退出了。
In 1978, Torbett was allowed to return to the Boys Club, and from then on he was free to abuse a new generation of boys. During his absence from Celtic Park, Torbett had built up his business, The Trophy Centre, which won contracts to sell official Celtic souvenirs and memorabilia. By the mid-80s, he was a millionaire, and had business dealings with several men associated with the club.
1978年,托贝特被允许回到男孩俱乐部,从那时起,他可以任意虐待新一代男孩。在离开凯尔特人公园球场期间,托贝特建立了他的事业——奖杯中心,赢得了出售官方凯尔特纪念品和纪念品的合同。到80年代中期他已经成为百万富翁,同时和几个与俱乐部相关的人有业务上的往来。
There were certainly rumours of child abuse circulating at the Boys Club after his return. In an editorial in Celtic FC's official publication, The Celtic View, on 10 December 1986, the club raged against those who were saying there was sexual abuse going on within the youth side. The editorial claimed that the club had conducted its own investigation and interviewed those under suspicion, but "could find nothing to substantiate the stories that were being circulated". It contained a warning to the press: "The boys club leaders who have been placed under a cloud as a result of these rumours" were ready to defend themselves in court, it read, "to make sure these scurrilous stories are buried once and for all".
在他回来后,男孩俱乐部里确实流传着虐待儿童的谣言。1986年12月10日,在凯尔特足球俱乐部官方出版物《凯尔特观点》的一篇社论中,俱乐部对那些声称青年队内部存在性虐待行为的人表示愤怒。该社论称俱乐部自己进行了调查并采访了那些有嫌疑的人,但“找不到任何证据来证实那些正在流传的故事”。信中还对媒体提出了警告:“因这些谣言而蒙上阴影的男孩俱乐部的领导人”已经准备好在法庭上为自己辩护,信中写道,“以确保这些下流的故事永远被掩埋。”
Now the survivors and their families are preparing for their day in court, they want to know more about this internal investigation at Celtic Park in 1986. "Our suspicion is that there were no investigations at all, but let's have the civil action establish if that is the case or not," the survivors' lawyer, Patrick McGuire, said.
现在,受害者和他们的家人正在为出庭做准备,他们想知道更多关于1986年凯尔特公园内部调查的信息。“我们怀疑(凯尔特俱乐部)根本没有进行调查,但让我们通过民事诉讼来确定情况是否属实,”受害者的律师帕特里克·麦圭尔表示。
One of those Torbett targeted after his return to the Boys Club was a boy named Andy Gray. In 1988, Gray was 12 and playing at the club as a striker. "We were very close growing up, and I knew that Andy just lived and breathed being part of Celtic," his sister Michelle told me when we met in a Glasgow hotel earlier this year. "He played for over three years, but suddenly cut all ties with the club before he turned 16."
回到男孩俱乐部后,托贝特的目标之一是一个名叫安迪·格雷的男孩。1988年,格雷12岁,作为一名前锋在俱乐部踢球。今年早些时候,我们在格拉斯哥的一家酒店见面时安迪的妹妹米歇尔对我说:“我们在一起长大,我知道安迪是作为凯尔特人生活和呼吸的一部分。”“他踢球踢了三年多,但在16岁之前突然与俱乐部断绝了所有联系。”