English Rugby
England legend Moore reveals childhood abuse
Scrum.com
January 2, 2010
England hooker Brian Moore, England v Wales, Five Nations, Twickenham, February 17, 1990
Brian Moore has revealed a history of childhood abuse in his autobiography © Getty Images
Enlarge
Related Links
Players/Officials: Brian Moore
Teams: England

Former England hooker Brian Moore has revealed that he was sexually abused by a teacher as a child.

A veteran of 64 England caps and five Tests for the British & Irish Lions and now a respected commentator and journalist, Moore details the abuse in his new autobiography Beware of the Dog.

In extracts published by The Daily Telegraph, Moore writes that the abuse began when he and three other boys, aged nine, 10 and 11 were lured into a tent and sexually abused by a teacher while on a field trip in Yorkshire.

The teacher, a friend of Moore's adoptive parents from church, died before the player could confront him over the abuse.

"If you have been abused, you feel tainted by association with the awfulness of the crime," he said. "I wrote him a letter explaining the effects of what he did, but he died before I could send it. What happened to me cannot have been an isolated incident. It had probably been going on for years."

Moore, who also speaks of his struggle to understand the reasons behind his abandonment by his natural mother, believes these childhood traumas made him ferociously competitive on the rugby field and contributed to the breakdown of two marriages.

© Scrum.com

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices