Teacher abused boy 'for years' during lunch club at school where he worked, court told

A teacher accused of sexually assaulting boys at the school where he worked abused one for years during a lunch club he ran in his classroom, a court heard today.

Martin Gallacher is on trial accused of sexually abusing 13 boys over a number of years at Paisley Grammar School.

The 46-year-old denies 22 charges - 19 sex assaults and three indecent communication offences - and is currently on trial at Paisley Sheriff Court.

Video recordings of his alleged victims giving evidence are being played to the jury.

One, who has since left the school and is now an adult, said he had a "closer than normal" relationship with the computing teacher and that incidents of him being touched took place over years.

He said: "I would see him a lot more than any other teacher in school.

"In S1 I attended a lunch club in his classroom.

"It was basically a place in the computing classroom where people could go and use the computers and play games and, like, talk to your friends."

He said there would usually be "more than 15" people in the lunch club and that Gallacher would touch him when he was there.

He explained: "When it started off he would keep his hand over my thigh.

"It would be when I was on his computer, playing games and stuff."

And he said that Gallacher also touched his privates one time after he had been at badminton club.

He said: "I went into his room to get a bottle of water.

"He put his hand down my boxers and touched my penis.

"I would just make up an excuse to go back into the hall to see my friends that were there. That only happened once.

"He would offer to take me home in his car.

"When he had his hand on my thigh, most of the time it was just squeezing."

He said he never went back to badminton club after the incident where Gallacher had touched his penis.

And he said that Gallacher would give him gifts and had also given him his PlayStation and Snapchat usernames and would talk to him on them.

When asked about the touching, and if he had heard rumours about Gallacher's conduct with children, he said: "I thought that was just his way of treating people and being nice to people - I didn't really see it as bad.

"I had heard rumours about what other people were saying."

The video evidence of another alleged victim was also shown to the jury today, Monday, August 21, 2026

He has also left the school and is now an adult and said that Gallacher would touch him on the inner thigh.

He said he had "a weird closeness" with the teacher and that the adult's behaviour towards him made him "feel uncomfortable".

He added: "There was a thing in our school that there was weird behaviour from him but I don't think anyone realised the severity of it."

Another alleged victim claimed Gallacher would put his hands on his shoulders and rub them as if he was massaging him.

He was asked if it could have actually been that Gallacher, who suffers from mobility issues, had touched him in a bid to steady himself.

He replied: "I think that you could just steady yourself by holding onto the chair."

Gallacher maintains his innocence and the trial, before Sheriff Eoin McGinty, continues.