‘Scary’ spike in calls to Moira Anderson Foundation charity line in wake of football abuse scandal

A SCOTTISH child sex abuse charity has had a record number of calls in the wake of the football scandal.

The founder of the Moira Anderson Foundation (MAF) described the unprecedented amount of referrals as “scary”.

On average the national charity receives around 20 calls per month. In November it was 45.

Sandra Brown, who set up the Foundation 16 years ago, said: “We’ve seen calls go through the roof since the scandal broke and this last period has been the busiest in our history.”

The football abuse scandal has quickly engulfed the whole of Britain. Police Scotland is now investigating 109 reports of child sexual abuse in football according to Chief Constable Phil Gormley.

A telephone hotline set up by the NSPCC has also received more than 1700 calls since it was set up three weeks ago. And last week The Sunday Post revealed claims of how Hibernian sacked talent scout Gordon Neely for molesting young boys, but did not contact the police.

Ms Brown said of the 45 calls it had received: “We know a significant number are directly related to the football issue.”

December has seen no let-up in what is traditionally the quietest month of the year for MAF.

Sandra said: “Usually we have 10 referrals in December, but what’s worrying is that we’ve already had 15 and there’s another week to go – that’s high.

“People often put off calling until Christmas and New Year is over, but afterwards it really hits home. Our staff are bracing themselves for when they come back in January because this issue is not going to go away.

“We have worries about the capacity of our front-line staff in dealing with the number of referrals.”

Sandra set up the Airdrie charity following the success of her book, Where There Is Evil, in which she accused her paedophile father Alexander Gartshore of abducting and killing missing schoolgirl Moira Anderson in 1957.

The organisation provides counselling and therapy for people who have suffered childhood abuse, both current and historic.

The last time MAF saw a sudden rise in calls was during the Jimmy Savile scandal in 2012.

“Our figures spiked at that point and have never returned to pre-Savile levels,” Sandra continued. “But this takes it to another level.”

Sandra believes the ongoing situation might encourage more victims to come forward and report historic abuse, especially if a household name speaks out.

She added: “We would really welcome a high-profile figure – a player seen as a hero and a legend – who feels strong enough to come out and speak about the abuse they suffered.”