Please note: This article contains references to abuse.
A former Glasgow pastor has been jailed for 14 years for rape and abusing eight children for more than 20 years.
James Haram was a minister in the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) before his suspension in June 2021 following the allegations.
He was convicted on 30 September of 19 charges of physical and sexual abuse that took place between 1997 and 2020. The sentencing judge said Haram had, to some extent, blamed the victims and sought to justify his position.
Judge Thomas Hughes told Haram that his congregation trusted him and looked to him as their leader. He added: “While that was going on and you were doing your minister work, you were actually committing appalling offences.”
A statement from the Free Church (Continuing) said Haram resigned as minister of the Shettleston congregation in July 2022. It said that: “Upon being alerted to some of the claims made by the woman involved, the Presbytery brought the matter to the attention of the relevant authorities and agreed to take no further action until the legal process had been concluded.
“The Presbytery were never made aware of the very grave allegations which ultimately led to a High Court trial and the sort of sentence which has now been handed down.” Haram was deposed from the ministry on 15 August 2025.
According to government records, Haram was appointed a director at the Melville-Knox Christian School in Glasgow on 26 February 2020 and resigned in May 2021.
The school’s chair of trustees Stephen McCollum told EN: “As a school we were horrified to hear of the very grave crimes Mr Haram has recently been convicted of. There were no safeguarding issues in connection with any pupils in the school.
“The school had no direct contact with the victims, but one former Board member became aware of some allegations through a third-party. At the time, the individual involved had not yet felt ready to report to the police, but was being supported and was believed to be safe. In line with guidance from women’s charities such as Women’s Aid, the Board member respected the victim’s pace and the importance of her feeling in control of the process.
“The full extent of the heinous allegations only came to light at the High Court trial, leaving our Board and wider school community in shock. We continue to uphold excellent safeguarding protocols, shaped and guided by national standards. Our desire is to see our students ‘safe into eternity’, and that includes protecting them in the here and now from those who would seek to do them harm. The Melville-Knox School Board maintains a zero-tolerance approach toward anyone who would breach these safeguarding protocols.”
McCollum added: “We would ask you to join us in praying for Mr Haram’s family and victims. In God’s grace and mercy, we would ask Him to bring healing and restoration to all those affected.”
Help and support
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, help is available via: FearFree Support (fearfree.org.uk); the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 / safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk; The Samaritans helpline – 116 123; The National Association for People Abused in Childhood napac.org.uk.
