Leaders of an Aberdeen sports club fostered a “toxic culture”, sparking accusations of child safeguarding failures and sexual assaults, whistleblowers claimed today.
The Press and Journal has spoken to many people involved in the Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association (ASRA) over the last two decades, and they have raised concerns that organisers are exposing children to harm and running the club “like a cult”.
Today, we can reveal how:
- A coach has been convicted of assaulting a 17-year-old girl and sexually assaulting a woman outside the club.
- Trustees did not notify parents about a child welfare probe or tell them two coaches were suspected of child sex abuse at the time.
- ASRA officials left one of those coaches’ profile picture on its website for almost a month – even after he was placed on the sex offenders register.
- An ASRA leader applied for two coaches’ suspensions to be lifted during an active police investigation into child sex assaults – sparking fury.
- Whistleblowers say ASRA trustees ostracise young rowers who leave the club in “cult-like behaviour”.
‘I risk being cast out’
One whistleblower said: “By speaking out, I risk being cast out of the club – but I’m willing to risk that so young girls don’t have to suffer in future.”
ASRA was formed in 1973 by former Hazlehead Academy languages teacher Bryan Steel, now 87, and Robert Newton to give young rowers a place to learn.
It became a valued club for rowers of primary school age all the way to 19-year-olds.
ASRA rowers have represented Scotland and Britain on the world stage.
Some young rowers train at its boathouse on South Esplanade Way by the River Dee three hours a day seven days a week, as well as taking frequent trips in the UK and abroad.
But six whistleblowers claim there is a “toxic culture” beneath the surface.
That was dramatically exposed today as disgraced now-former ASRA trustee Ian Duncan was given 100 hours of unpaid work and a 12-month supervision order for a sexual assault.
Duncan, who has been teaching children to row at ASRA for 20 years, was placed on the sex offenders register on April 4.
The 65-year-old, of Oldfold Crescent, Milltimber, was charged with sexually assaulting two girls and a woman and of making sexual remarks towards another girl, all at ASRA.
However, Duncan agreed to admit two amended charges at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in April, thus avoiding a trial.
Duncan admitted repeatedly assaulting a girl under the age of 18 over a 12-month period in 2013 and 2014 by touching her bottom at ASRA.
He also admitted sexually assaulting a woman in January 2012 by kissing her and attempting to insert his tongue in her mouth.
We cannot name the victims for legal reasons.
After the hearing, Duncan said he had “no recollection of what happened” but agreed to plead guilty once he learned there were independent witnesses.
Also after the hearing, ASRA’s trustees denied there was a toxic culture and claimed only one of the two incidents took place at ASRA – because the sex assault took place on the road outside the building.
Their statement added: “It obviously goes without saying that ASRA extends its apologies to the victims of these incidents.”
Coach acquitted after trial
Founder and fellow trustee Bryan Steel also faced criminal proceedings earlier this year over an allegation of sexual assault, but he was acquitted following a trial.
Allegations of improper behaviour at ASRA came to light in 2007, when Mr Steel was accused of assaulting a teenage girl during a rowing trip outwith Scotland.
A witness claimed to have found Mr Steel – who was aged 69 at the time – sitting on top of the 17-year-old ASRA rower at 2.30am.
According to the witness’s written statement to the London-based Amateur Rowing Association, Mr Steel appeared to be punching and slapping the girl and she was screaming “get off me, get off me”.
A second witness also gave a statement to the rowing association, and said he entered the room after hearing noises and saw Mr Steel “laid on the floor” and the young rower “curled up”.
In Mr Steel’s own statement about the incident, he claimed he acted the way described because the girl was “running amok,” and he was attempting to restrain her before “slapping it out of her”.
This week, we tried to speak with Mr Steel about the incident and he declined to comment.
The girl’s worried parents later told the charity Children First that she claimed Mr Steel had been sexually touching her and was seeking to have sex with her.
As a result of those claims, Mr Steel was suspended from rowing activities.
He denied any allegation of sexual impropriety.
Social worker had concerns about coach
The girl’s parents decided not to report the allegations to police in 2007 as they would have had to travel hundreds of miles to meet officers where the alleged assault took place.
The matter was dropped and Mr Steel’s suspension from rowing activities was lifted.
The ASRA trustees said they acted accordingly by suspending Mr Steel, awaiting the outcome of an investigation and reinstating him.
Ian Duncan told us: “As far as I’m aware, Mr Steel was … mentored back into rowing.”
However, in September 2008, the girl’s parents raised safeguarding concerns about ASRA with multiple organisations, including Aberdeen City Council, which produces safety regulations for the rowing club to follow.
A council social worker replied by writing: “I too share your concerns about the reinstatement of Mr Steel as a coach.”
But the social worker could not act as, by then, the girl was an adult.
The ASRA trustees told us they were not made aware of these concerns at the time.
Between 2008 and early 2020, other young rowers made allegations of improper conduct against Ian Duncan, but nothing came of it at that point in time.
Several sources told us one ASRA coach quit in 2013 due to what he perceived as a lack of action over safeguarding.
However, the ASRA trustees claimed he merely left for another role and did not raise any concerns with them.
‘Allegations were piling up’
One source with knowledge of the investigation said: “By 2020 there was a folder of dozens of reports of improper conduct. It was all piling up.”
The ASRA trustees told us in a statement that there was “a series of complaints” around 2015 – but they were about rowing issues, such as boat allocation, not child safeguarding.
In July 2020, safeguarding concerns were raised with Scottish Rowing – the country’s governing body for the sport.
The body investigated and placed Bryan Steel and Ian Duncan under a precautionary suspension in April 2021.
One whistleblower told us: “Statements were taken from 40 people who could give accounts of the culture at ASRA, as they saw it – and that culture was toxic.”
As a result of what they uncovered, Scottish Rowing bosses took their findings to Police Scotland, who began their probe in mid-2021.
It took almost four years to bring the matters to court, as it was complex.
Leaders backed accused – not victims
In a move that was described by a victim as “absolutely breathtakingly tone deaf”, ASRA publicly showed their support for sex attacker Ian Duncan before the police’s sexual assault probe had been concluded.
ASRA asked Scottish Rowing to lift Ian Duncan and Bryan Steel’s suspensions, describing them as “stalwarts of the ASRA family” and claiming it was causing the coaches stress.
Minutes of Scottish Rowing’s AGM in October 2023 show that, on behalf of the committee, ASRA trustee Alan Lawrie said: “The investigations have been ongoing for at least two-and-a-half years.
“What are Scottish Rowing’s priorities? You would think that safety and wellbeing of athletes, coaches, volunteers, would be right up there.
“However, this investigation is demonstrating the complete opposite.
“The two individuals and their extended families have had to endure the stresses of having this hanging over them.
“This has no doubt had an adverse health effect on both families.”
Mr Lawrie added: “ASRA believe if there was anything of any significance identified within the investigations, then appropriate timely action would have been taken.
‘Enough is enough’
“We are saying ‘enough is enough’ and asking you to…allow them to return to their beloved sport.”
One victim told us: “Alan Lawrie’s language was absolutely breathtakingly tone deaf.
“Alan was concerned about [Bryan Steel and Ian Duncan’s] health and their families. What about ours?
“Alan either knew the suspensions were necessary due to the ongoing criminal proceedings, or he wasn’t privy to that information.
“What really hurt was that Alan put the motion forward on behalf of the ASRA committee.
“It felt like he was suggesting nobody believed the victims.”
Privately, Scottish Rowing bosses were livid.
They felt undermined and as though ASRA’s motion was forcing them to discuss a sensitive legal matter about child safety, where it legally had to be kept private.
Scottish Rowing rejected ASRA’s motion and said: “We are disappointed it has been tabled.”
ASRA trustees this week said: “At that time, the trustees believed both (police and Scottish Rowing) investigations had been stalled.
“Scottish Rowing had ample opportunity to provide us with a confidential update on the status of the investigation, which would have resulted in the motion being withdrawn.”
Bryan Steel in court
After the long-running police investigation, the matter finally came to court on March 31 this year, when Bryan Steel stood trial.
He was accused of sexually assaulting one girl at the club and was found not guilty.
Mr Steel was charged with conducting himself in a disorderly manner by making comments of a sexual nature towards the girl and committing breach of the peace at ASRA and elsewhere within Scotland, on various occasions in 2007.
He was also charged with indecently assaulting the same girl by grabbing her on the body, pushing her against a wall, pulling up her skirt and pulling down her pants at ASRA on various occasions in 2007.
Mr Steel was found not guilty of both charges.
Another whistleblower claimed Ian Duncan has been behaving inappropriately for years.
That whistleblower said: “When teaching children to row, he would compare it to having sex or parts of the female anatomy.”
One rowing coach, who worked closely with Duncan, said: “He would say to teenagers ‘you need to move the oars smoothly, like you were moving your hands around a woman’s private parts’ – except with more vulgar language.”
Responding to that claim, Duncan told The Press and Journal: “I certainly remember once, many, many years – probably 30 years – ago saying something (like this) once. I regretted saying it.
“It was actually to a coach that was in the boat of me. Perhaps (children) overheard and I regretted that.
“I stopped saying it. I said it once and I didn’t say it again. I was told I was an idiot for saying it. It didn’t become a formal matter.
“If I remember rightly, I think it was a junior 18 crew, so they would have been aged 17 or 18. It would have been inappropriate regardless of that.”
‘Nobody intervened’
The Press and Journal has spoken with several people associated with ASRA who also claimed Duncan made inappropriate sexual comments around children.
Another former ASRA rower told us: “On coach trips with the club, Ian would start inappropriate sexual songs relating to anal sex.”
Duncan said this “is an absolute lie”.
He added: “I would never have started any singing like that.
“We used to get some kids come from rugby to try rowing and they knew all the rugby songs.
“They would start singing. I was driving. I don’t remember anyone singing about anal sex.”
Speaking in general terms, Duncan said: “Inappropriate things shouldn’t happen – and that has happened.
“I remember someone reading from 50 Shades of Gray.
“They were told not to and in fact one of the coaches had to take the book away from the person involved.”
‘I never made anyone feel bad for not hugging’
The former ASRA rower also claimed Duncan’s behaviour could make female rowers feel uncomfortable.
They said: “Ian favoured girls and would hug them. They’d feel bad for refusing.
“This made children at ASRA believe sexual references and behaviour were normal.
“All this went on in full view of other trustees. Nobody intervened.”
Responding, Duncan said: “This is not true. I never made anyone feel bad for not hugging.
“If they win a gold medal, everyone is very excited and you start hugging.
“I actually stopped that at one point because I felt uncomfortable and I actually started handshaking instead.
“One of the girls – we’d won a gold medal – everyone was jumping up and down and feeling good about it and there was hugging going on.
“One of the girls felt uncomfortable about it, so I stopped doing it. This was over 20 years ago. I changed my behaviour to stop that.
“These things all happen in front of parents, other coaches and right in the middle of the rowing scene.”
‘The good old bad old days’
Another whistleblower told us: “There sadly has been an atmosphere of acceptance of Ian’s behaviour at ASRA, with quite abhorrent activity being brushed off ‘it’s just Ian’.”
Another whistleblower we spoke to said Bryan Steel and the current trustees recall with nostalgia a time decades ago when procedures were lax.
He said: “They call it ‘the good old bad old days’ and tell stories about risqué things they did down the years. Far better than ‘the woke’ period.”
The ASRA trustees said: “The trustees have never discussed risqué behaviour within ASRA.”
And Duncan said: “This is a phrase I don’t recognise. The days that we used to sleep on rat-infested boathouse floors, camping in all sorts of weather – I don’t want to go back to that, no.”
‘Most parents don’t know about the court cases’
Whistleblowers claim ASRA’s trustees – two of whom were appointed when Bryan Steel and Ian Duncan were suspended in 2021 – did not inform club members about child safeguarding concerns.
One said: “Most parents don’t know about the court cases.
“ASRA could have sent a letter out to explain the actual reasons for the suspensions, but chose not to.
“That’s because the trustees are close friends with the two men who were accused.”
Another said: “We cannot go back to the culture of five years ago before Scottish Rowing got involved.
“All three of ASRA’s trustees (Alan Lawrie, Bob Newton and Jim Steel – no relation to Bryan Steel) need to step down.
“The parents of rowers have no idea about [the reasons for the suspensions] – it has all been hushed up.”
The ASRA trustees told us they chose not to notify parents in 2021 because Scottish Rowing recommended they did not contact potential witnesses.
Letter to parents
Then, in July 2022, when Police Scotland contacted them about interviewing athletes and parents, the trustees emailed current athletes’ parents.
The trustees sent us that letter, which does not mention child safeguarding concerns, and instead references “the running of ASRA”.
It said there were two precautionary suspensions, but it does not say who they are or why.
The email, written by Alan Lawrie, said: “Scottish Rowing’s investigation looked at the period 2000 through to 2020 and, because we don’t have any detail of the nature of the allegations, we can only deduce from our interviews that the following areas were the subject of their investigation.”
The email lists: “Favouritism, boat names, people’s nicknames, how were crew selections made, how were complaints dealt with, how were away trips organised and supervised (and) who decided what equipment was purchased and who got to use it.”
ASRA response to allegations
The Press and Journal put all the whistleblowers’ allegations to ASRA.
In a statement, the trustees said: “We have no intention of resigning.
“We have taken the allegations and investigations seriously and have been actively working on continually improving the culture and environment of the club.
“We strive to ensure that we have a ‘children/athletes first’ culture.
“The trustees and committee of ASRA have a policy of welcoming visits at any time from parents.
“Parents play a key support role within the committee where we seek their input,
suggestions, areas for improvement from them.
“There is also always parent support present for all water sessions, supporting both the athletes and coaches present.”
Attacker’s profile stayed online for weeks
Ian Duncan was placed on the sex offenders’ register on April 4 and yet his profile and photograph stayed on the ‘coaches’ section of ASRA’s website until it was abruptly removed on May 2.
We asked the ASRA trustees why, and they chose not to address this point.
Another whistleblower told us: “The culture is toxic.
“Bryan treats ASRA like a cult. People at the club joke that it’s like a cult, but there’s a serious overtone to those jokes.
“The way Bryan sees it, he started the whole organisation in the 1970s, so it’s his empire.
“If you cross Bryan, you’re persona non grata. You get ex-communicated.
“If you leave for another club, for example, to row for your new university’s team, you’re ostracised by Bryan – as though you betrayed him personally.
“And because the rowing community in Scotland is so close-knit, many people keep quiet because they know Bryan’s word can count against you even if you go to (another club).
“That’s why paid members of staff have quit in recent years.”
This week, we tried to speak with Mr Steel about the allegations of “cult-like behaviour” and he declined to comment.
The ASRA trustees said they have never heard anyone around the club compare it with a cult.
‘I am full of regret’
Their statement added that athletes do choose to leave and “we continue to engage with them when we see them in Aberdeen or away at other competitions”.
“We always support these decisions that athletes take,” they added.
Ian Duncan said: “I am full of regret for something I have done and don’t remember. I’m quite disappointed in my behaviour. I am remorseful.
“If the woman (the victim of the sexual assault) had mentioned it at the time, I would have apologised immediately.”
He added: “I cannot for the life of me remember (what happened in that incident). I’ve had my memory questioned.
“I find there is a gap there.
“I hate to have caused an offence. It’s not in my nature.
“If there is any subsequent (emotional) offence has come out of my time at ASRA – if there are any, I can only apologise.
“I only ever wanted a positive experience for people going through the club. These things that people are claiming – I find quite offensive.
“We’re talking about thousands of children passing through the club over a period of years and it’s unfortunate that some people have been offended and I can only apologise for that offence.
“Our main focus at ASRA was (helping people from) deprived areas of Aberdeen.
“We’ve had children come back and thank us because, if they didn’t have rowing, they would have been in prison.”
Support for victims
During the criminal proceedings, Scottish Rowing paused its investigation into safeguarding concerns at ASRA.
That process recently resumed and we reported yesterday that Bryan Steel was banned from rowing-related activity for 10 years, backdated to April 2021.
Scottish Rowing’s investigation into Duncan can now resume.
Unlike court, a Scottish Rowing panel will judge on the balance of probability.
Whistleblowers say they want a fair outcome.
One woman close to ASRA said: “They have put me through hell and back.
“The court case is done. Bryan has been banned and Ian remains suspended.
“The only way the club will ever move on is if they leave and the trustees step down.
“So many young girls have been at ASRA.
“We don’t know if they have experienced similar things to what was put to the court.
“Despite all this, there are some wonderful people at the club.
Club is a ‘Godsend’
“It’s a Godsend to a lot of young people from Torry and the surrounding areas.
“ASRA gives them the chance to learn an incredible skill and opens up doors to travel, make friends and broaden their horizons.”
Scottish Rowing has pledged to support those impacted by the safeguarding issues that have been raised, with the support of the Children First charity.
In respect of that forthcoming disciplinary process, Duncan said: “I have personally approached past rowers and coaches and asked them to tell me about my behaviour.
“Some of them have taken their children to the club and some have become coaches.
“None of them recognised some of the issued you has raised – and that’s well towards 20 people.
“If there was any of that, I don’t think these people would have brought their children back to the club.”
Duncan described the situation as like “having two pictures” – with people around him saying positive things about him and others, like those who spoke to the P&J, questioning his conduct.
Duncan said he would respect the outcome of Scottish Rowing’s disciplinary process.
Children First’s chief executive Mary Glasgow said of Ian Duncan’s sentencing: “This is yet another terrible example of the way that abusers rely on their power, standing and threats to create a culture where victims stay silent and abuse can continue.”
The ASRA trustees said: “We do not understand how Children First can hold (this) view.”
Ms Glasgow added: “When anyone, of any age, courageously speaks out about abuse they must be taken seriously.
“Everyone in sport has a responsibility to take urgent action if they hear, see or think that somebody is being harmed, or that other people may be at risk of abuse, regardless of who may be involved.
“Where people feel worried about raising concerns directly with a club or sports governing body, Children First can offer support and take action.
“Anyone with concerns can contact us via this link or on 0141 419 1156.”
Tell us your experiences of ASRA
You can also contact our reporter Dale Haslam at dale.haslam@ajl.co.uk