This is part of a letter marked "private and confidential", sent by Thomas Hamilton to Mr Robert Bail, the education convenor of Stirling Regional Council, dated January 26th 1996:
"Dear Bob,
Over six months ago I wrote to you to report that following a discussion among teachers in the staff room in Bannockburn Primary School, teachers were informing pupils and parents that I am a pervert and as a result all of the 26 pupils who were members of my Bannockburn Boys Sports Club left immediately and local gossip followed.
The response of the Education Department to me was that teachers may have been expressing their own personal views or opinions is unacceptable in that they were acting within school time and on school premises. For the Education Department to say to the school that teachers should not make any statements that they could not substantiate is, quite frankly, too little too late and has done nothing to correct the situation.
Indeed this situation is not confined to Bannockburn Primary School and is widespread in Primary Schools across the Region where many Headteachers and teachers have shown great vigour and enthusiasm to warn as many people as possible. At Dunblane Primary School where teachers have contaminated all of the older boys with this poison, even former cleaners and dinner ladies have been told by teachers at school that I am a pervert. There have been reports at many schools of our boys being rounded up by staff and even warnings given to entire schools by headteachers during assembly.
All of this has been extremely damaging over the years not only to my clubs but to my public standing and has resulted in a complete loss of my ability to earn a living. Any attempt to enlighten people is very time consuming and expensive and is largely proved to be impossible.
Where previously unhappy people are poisoned in this way they become hostile and unapproachable and will see in their own mind sinister slants to normal everyday events through now suspicious and tainted eyes...