Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Mystery of the student trainer

AFTER THE MASSACRE

John McKie,Steve Boggan
Saturday 16 March 1996 00:02 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

JOHN McKIE and STEVE BOGGAN

It started off with a leaflet round primary schools about a five a side football club. It ended with the massacre of 16 schoolchildren, a teacher and a suicide.

While the life of Thomas Hamilton has been well documented, the other name on the leaflet advertising for young recruits remains a mystery.

Little is known of Iain Boal, whose name, address and telephone number appears on the leaflet beside Hamilton's. He advertises himself as "Club Football Coach" but neither Dumbarton's manager Jim Fallon nor the council's former head of youth football coaching had heard his name before.

The Scottish Football Association confirmed that he had taken part in training sessions- but only for a day. He has no formal SFA coaching qualification. The student who still lives with his mother and unemployed father Thomas, he is thought to be in his early twenties. The Boals live a stone's throw from the ground of Dumbarton FC in a small council flat.

He is in the third year of a four year degree at Glasgow's Jordanhill College studying physical and sports education. It is a degree for those who intend to pursue leisure management.

He sometimes drank at The Stag's Head pub near his home. Manager Ian MacDonald said: "He's a customer in here as is his father. He was a PE teacher at Dumbarton Academy last year. He taught my 13 year-old son but he must have been on a course because he was only there for so long."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in