News NI
A former pupil of Methodist College Belfast was left “traumatised” after “degrading” videos were recorded of him on a school rugby trip.
Gabriel McConkey, now 19, has been awarded more than £50,000 in a civil case after the school admitted liability in relation to negligence and failure to supervise.
He was in lower sixth and on a trip to Portugal when it is alleged that older pupils forced him and others to run naked around the resort they were staying in.
News NI has contacted the school for comment.
It is his case that they then used the video to coerce him into having his head shaved.
He was also forced to witness other boys as they were coerced into performing an act on a sex toy.
His mother, Sian Mawhinney, told News NI that her son was “absolutely broken” when he returned from the trip in December 2022.
“Gabriel came back from this trip a totally different child than the one that we sent away and I think no mother expects these events to take place on a school trip,” she said.
“They expect their children to be looked after and to be supervised and obviously something went terribly wrong,” she added.
“He was traumatised by it.”
‘Start to heal’
“I’m incredibly proud of Gab,” she said.
“He is an amazing person because he has a really strong sense of justice.”
She said one of the things Gabriel “was most upset about” was that there were other boys who he couldn’t help and “that sense of helplessness has really impacted him”.
“Today brings closure after a horrendous two-year ordeal. We are delighted obviously with the outcome and we now hope that Gab can start to heal and get on with his life.”
The family’s solicitor, Victoria Haddock, said: “This settlement is a welcome vindication for our client who should never had had to take legal action following a rugby school trip.”
