Ex-Waverley steamer captain who sexually abused young boys on board dies in Barlinnie prison

A SHAMED former captain of the Waverley who was jailed after sexually abusing three teenage boys on board the paddle steamer has died.

David Neill, 76, captained the world famous ship between 1975 and 1997 but lured all three teenagers in with the promise of jobs on the ship and then a career in the Royal Navy.

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David Neill has died in prisonCredit: Spindrift

He forced all of his victims, now in their 50s, to relive their ordeals at his hands during a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Neill, of Galston, Ayrshire, was convicted by jurors of four charges of indecent assault between March 1982 and September 1987.

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The predator was jailed for seven years by judge Tom Hughes QC in February this year but his death inside HMP Barlinnie has now been announced.

The cause of death is unknown. A mandatory fatal accident inquiry will be held because his death has occurred in custody.

Police launched a probe into Neill after one of his victims came forward.

A 51-year-old man said Neill sexually abused him while he was working as a steward on the ship and then claimed it was a joke.

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Neill was a former captain of the Waverley SteamerCredit: Alamy

He said that on another night he was drunk and sleeping in the captain’s cabin and again woke to find Neil sexually abusing him.

The man said that he suffers from ‘flashbacks’ including memories of the way Neill smelled which he described as being ‘sweat and Old Spice’.

A 53-year-old man also told the jury he was sexually assaulted by Neill. He said he worked as a galley boy on the ship for a couple of months before jumping ship in Fort William.

The witness, who gave evidence via a video link from Canada, said Neill also abused him on a car journey between his home in Ayrshire and the Waverley, which was docked in Glasgow.

Another 51-year-old, who worked as a steward and then a deckhand, said that Neil asked him if he was a virgin and added: “He said I was to pretend he was a woman.”

Neill did not give evidence at his trial but denied the allegations and when interviewed by police said: “I’m aghast at it all, I really am. There is no way I would be interested in sex with any males.”

Jailing him, judge Hughes said: “You sat through the trial and showed no remorse or regret.

“You were actually grooming them and used them for your own selfish evil sexual gratification.

“The complainers gave evidence of how they had come from difficult backgrounds and areas of low employment and were excited at the prospect of employment.”

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Neill was previously jailed for three years in 1998 at Glasgow Sheriff Court after being found guilty of abusing five teenage boys in his cabin.

The offences took place in the captain’s cabin while the Waverley was on trips on the Clyde or berthed at Anderston Quay, Glasgow, between 1981 and 1987.

A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: “David Lindsay Neill, 76, a prisoner from HMP Barlinnie has died.

“He was convicted at Glasgow High Court in 2020.

“Police Scotland have been advised and the matter reported to the Procurator Fiscal.

“A fatal accident inquiry will be held in due course.”

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